Title: Efficacy of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation techniques to Pelvic girdle muscles in improving gait in hemiplegic patients

Authors: A.Thiruppathi M.P.T., P.Rajitha M.P.T, V.Kiran M.P.T., K.Suneel kumar M.P.T.

 DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v4i7.08

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the effects of PNF treatment applied to the pelvic region in patients with hemiplegia acute and chronic stage and investigate whether the duration of hemiplegia affected the results of the treatment.

Study Design: Quasi-experimental design.

Source of Data: Subjects are chosen from the Department of Neurology, Narayana Medical College & Hospital, Nellore.

Results: In this study, both subjects with acute and chronic hemiplegia had a mean age of 56.8±8.0 years. Chronic hemiplegic patients have had hemiplegia since 15.4±1.7 months. All subjects were at brunnstorm stage 3, 4 or 5. There was no difference between both groups in case of age, gender, side of hemiplegia and brunnstorm stage. In the group with acute hemiplegia, each subject demonstrated increasing gait speed and cadence after treatment. Also in the group with chronic hemiplegia, each subject demonstrated an increase in gait speed and cadence after treatment more or less similar to acute patients. For Patients in both groups, both mean speed and cadence after treatment greater than pretest values.

Conclusion: Both acute and chronic hemiplegic patient groups have shown improvement from Pre-test to Post-test equally. This observation lends support to the null hypothesis that the duration of hemiplegia may not be as crucial for functional recovery as previously thought, at least relative to the gait indexes of recovery was examined.

Keywords: Acute & Chronic Hemiplegia, PNF Techniques, pelvic floor muscles, Gait pattern

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Corresponding Author

A. Thiruppathi M.P.T

Professor, Narayana College of Physiotherapy, Nellore