Abstract

Cerebral Palsy (CP), according to Richards &Malouin [1], consists of chronic non-progressive encephalopathy resulting from a Central Nervous System (CNS) lesion manifested by disorders of movement, posture, balance and coordination, with the variable presence of voluntary movements. Some rehabilitation approaches that have been used in CP rehabilitation are the Bobath Concept, the task-specific training, and the family-centered approach. The aim of this study was to verify the influence of the physiotherapy intervention according to the neuro developmental techniques according to the bobath concept, in the improvement of global motor skills in a 36-month-old child with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy. For this purpose, the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) evaluation scale was applied pre and post test (2 times a week for 12 weeks) and the main problems of the child according to the International Classification of Functionality (ICF) were classified. The results after the intervention, in which the same measurement and evaluation instruments were used, according to GMFM, showed a slight evolution, with child’s gross motor capacities at the 18-month level. In overall terms, there is improvement in all components of the ICF, which is more marked in activities. After analyzing this case the results obtained were positive although they were not reached in their fullness.

Keywords: Physiotherapy intervention; Cerebral palsy; Bobath concept; Gross motor function measure; International classification of functionality

Abbreviations: CP: Cerebral Palsy; CNS: Central Nervous System; GMFM: Gross Motor Function Measure; ICF: International Classification of Functionality; NDT: NeuroDevelopment Techniques