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. 2018 Jun 10:5:2329048X18780477.
doi: 10.1177/2329048X18780477. eCollection 2018.

Vibration-Assisted Home Training Program for Children With Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Christina Stark  1   2 , Ibrahim Duran  3 , Sebahattin Cirak  4 , Stefanie Hamacher  5 , Heike-Katharina Hoyer-Kuhn  1 , Oliver Semler  1   6 , Eckhard Schoenau  1   2   3
Affiliations

Vibration-Assisted Home Training Program for Children With Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Christina Stark et al. Child Neurol Open. .

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a new method of vibration-assisted neuromuscular rehabilitation in patients with spinal muscular atrophy types II and III. In this retrospective observational study, 38 children (mean age: 4.64 ± 1.95 years) were analyzed. The physiotherapy program, Auf die Beine, combines 6 months of home-based side-alternating whole-body vibration with interval blocks of intensive, goal-directed rehabilitation: 13 days at the start and 6 days after 3 months. Assessments were applied at the beginning (M0), after 6 months of home-based training (M6), and after 6 months of follow-up (M12). Motor abilities were assessed by the Gross Motor Function Measure 66 and Hammersmith Functional Mobility Scale. The Gross Motor Function Measure showed an increase of 1.69 (3.73) points (P = .124) and the Hammersmith Functional Mobility Scale a significant increase of 2.73 ± 1.79 points (P = .007) after 12 months; however, whether this leads to a long-term clinical benefit requires further investigation.

Keywords: children; developmental disability; efficacy; pediatric; rehabiliation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Eckhard Schoenau is medical director of the UniReha GmbH and Ibrahim Duran is employed by UniReha GmbH.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Cologne concept Auf die Beine—neuromuscular training based on side-alternating whole body vibration (sWBV). A, The sWBV system—spinal reflexes and muscle contractions are provoked through the side-alternating vibration stimulus. B, The sWBV system combined with a tilt table.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Flowchart sample selection and criteria.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Individual changes at baseline (M0) to 12 months for Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (GMFM-66) and Hammersmith Functional Mobility Scale (HFMS). The GMFM-66: gray area: minimally clinically important difference (MCID) reported for children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 2 to 7 years after 6 months. Gray solid, for an MCID of medium Cohen d effect size (2.05 points); gray dotted: for a large Cohen d effect size (3.28 points). The HFMS: dotted line: ±2 points as reported by Mercuri et al. after 12 months.
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