Manual therapy for plagiocephaly: Alberta Infant Motor Scale Article Summary
Pastor-Pons, I., Hidalgo-García, C., Lucha-López, M.O. et al. Effectiveness of pediatric integrative manual therapy in cervical movement limitation in infants with positional plagiocephaly: a randomized controlled trial. Ital J Pediatr 47, 41 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-021-00995-9.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of pediatric integrative manual therapy in cervical movement in infants with positional plagiocephaly.
Study population:
Randomized control trial with 34 children younger than 28 weeks old who have positional plagiocephaly.
Methods:
Demographic variables were collected from the medical history of the children. The degree of cranial deformation was measured through multiple anthropometric values, and cranial index and cranial vault asymmetry were calculated. Two photographic sessions were held before the intervention and one after the intervention. Active cervical range of motion was measured as well as neuromotor development through use of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS).
Outcome measures: AIMS
Intervention:
Subjects were randomly distributed to one of two groups, a control group or the intervention group for a 10-week duration. The control group received an educational physical therapy program for the caregivers of the children. The program included exercises and positioning to reduce the cranial deformation and to encourage motor development. The intervention consisted of the same education as well as pediatric cervical manual therapy.
Results:
After the study was concluded, the intervention group showed significantly higher increase in right cervical rotation and total cervical rotation. No significant differences were found between groups in left cervical AROM and the AIMS.
Strengths/limitations:
The photogrammetric measures were found to be reliable and the systematic measurement error was found to be lower than the changes found with the intervention group. This study was performed on a very specific group of children, and it cannot be generalized to the age group population. It may also be difficult to accurately measure AROM in this age group.
Conclusion:
Pediatric manual therapy along with evidence-based education for caregivers is associated with better outcomes in AROM for children with positional plagiocephaly. No differences were found in neuromotor development measured by the AIMS by adding manual therapy to education.
2 responses to “Manual therapy for plagiocephaly: Alberta Infant Motor Scale Article Summary”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I think this is an interesting study since flat spots on babies’ heads are becoming a bigger problem in recent generations. Do you think the lack of improvement in left rotation was correlated to the side of the head with the flat spot? Is there a relationship between a lower AIMS score and worse deformation? I feel like the results are in line with what we have been learning, it’s not just exercise that makes improvement but exercise combined with other clinical skills that really show change.
It’s great to see that the intervention worked! I wonder why there was more of an improvement with right rotation as compared to left cervical rotation, what manual treatment was used, and if there were any differences between males and females? I liked this summary because it encouraged me to review the AIMS and helped me learn about positional plagiocephaly!