Original Research Article
Year: 2018 | Month: November | Volume: 8 | Issue: 11 | Pages: 116-125
Effect of Neuromuscular Taping Along with Reactive Postural Adjustment and Anticipatory Postural Adjustment in Improving Sitting Balance in Children with Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy
Jaya Dixit, Sujoy Roy
Occupational Therapist, Sir Sunderlal Hospital, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP, India 225001.
Corresponding Author: Jaya Dixit
ABSTRACT
Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of neuromuscular taping over trunk muscles along with providing activities which gives internal and external perturbations on the static, dynamic trunk balancing abilities of children with cerebral palsy and generate some postural response in the trunk of these children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.
Objective: To find out the effect of neuromuscular taping along with activities providing Reactive Postural Adjustments & Anticipatory Postural Adjustments, in improving sitting balance, in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.
Study Design: Pretest and Posttest experimental study design.
Method: Spastic diplegic cerebral palsy children who were fulfilling the inclusion criteria were selected by convenient sampling from Occupational Therapy unit of Sir Sunderlal Hospital, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India with sample size of 60. A written informed consent was obtained from the guardians. Ethical permission was taken from the institute. Pediatric Balance Scale & Pediatric Reach Test was used as instruments for measuring improvement in sitting balance. A frame for reaching and a platform for external perturbation were designed for the study. Therapy for both groups was given for 1 hour per session. Children in experimental group were exposed to 30 minutes each of Reactive Postural Adjustment & Anticipatory Postural Adjustment along with application of neuromuscular taping over the muscle belly of erector spinae. While control group, was exposed to Reactive Postural Adjustment & Anticipatory Postural Adjustment without neuromuscular taping over the trunk muscles.
Results: Results of Wilcoxon signed rank test of Pediatric Reach Test were significant for experimental group and control group (P=0.004; 95% CI: 5.34 to 10.67 and P=0.014; 95% CI: 4.16 to 7.89 respectively). There was also significance of results of Wilcoxon signed rank test of Pediatric Balance Scale in experimental and control group (P=0.025; 95% CI: 8.98 to 11.12 for experimental group and P=0.005; 95% CI: 8.09 to 9.54 for control group) with the level of significance set atP≤0.05. This shows that results were significant for experimental group as well as control group. Also the results of Mann Whitney U test show that Z= -3.507 for Pediatric Balance Scale is more making it more sensitive to capture changes in balances in children than Pediatric Reach Test with Z= -3.905 with P=0.002; 95% CI: 4.14 to 9.00 and P=0.001; 95% CI: 7.56 to 9.70 with the level of significance set atP≤0.05.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that application of neuromuscular taping along with activities providing Reactive Postural Adjustment &Anticipatory Postural Adjustment can be used to enhance & improve sitting balance among children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy; so that they can have the functional balance in sitting, to safely meet the demands of everyday life.
Key words: Balance, Functional Activities, Perturbations, kinesiotape.