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Case Reports
. 2025 Sep 26;19(1):450.
doi: 10.1186/s13256-025-05545-z.

A structured rehabilitation program for functional recovery in Guillain-Barré syndrome: a case report

Neda M Yousef  1 , Daniel Kayode Adejumo  2 , Animesh Hazari  3 , Praveen Kumar Kandakurti  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

A structured rehabilitation program for functional recovery in Guillain-Barré syndrome: a case report

Neda M Yousef et al. J Med Case Rep. .

Abstract

Introduction: Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by progressive generalized muscle weakness commonly arising from proximal leg muscles and developing in an ascending pattern toward the upper limb, facial muscles, and cranial nerves.

Case report: A 40-year-old Emirati female patient diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome had paralysis of her upper and lower limbs, with certain muscle groups exhibiting tightness. On the basis of the patient's examination findings and goals, the rehabilitation program focused on inhibiting tightness, activating weak muscles, improving range of motion and proprioception, and developing trunk control for advanced functional training.

Discussion: The results of the structured program revealed the effectiveness of an intensive intervention in improving the patient's physical abilities over 4 months. Our program was based on a study that reported that extensive training showed significant improvement in patient functional outcome.

Conclusion: The findings of our study suggest that a structured rehabilitation program consisting of progressive resistance training and functional training could be very effective in improving physical function among Guillain-Barré syndrome patients.

Keywords: Functional training; GBS; Guillain–Barré syndrome; PRE; Paralysis; Progressive training; Rood’s approach.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: A written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report. The patient’s consent was taken to use data for publication and research purposes, without revealing the identity. Ethical approval to conduct this study was obtained from Thumbay Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Hospital. All identifying information has been deidentified to protect patient confidentiality and privacy. Consent for publication: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor-in-Chief of this journal. Competing interests: Authors declare no competing interest for this project.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Graphical presentation of patient’s disease progression and recovery
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Graphical presentation of stage-wise home-care intervention program
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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