NCT04979689

Intensive Therapy of Shoulder External Rotators in Erb's Palsy

Effects of Physical Rehabilitation With and Without Intensive Exercise Therapy of Shoulder External Rotators in Patients With Erb's Palsy

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 20 (actual)
• Sponsor: Riphah International University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 9 Months – 12 Months
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Erb's palsy is a common neurological injury occurs at the time of birth. It causes injury to the upper trunk nerve root c5-c6, i.e., supply is around shoulder and muscles of forearm and these nerves network from the spine and pass through the cervicoaxillary canal in the neck and the ribs and emerge into the axilla. Restoring external rotation in erb's palsy is quite difficult and mostly surgery is recommended but if physiotherapy sessions are given with extended time up to 2 hours and latest techniques are applied to strengthen external rotators then range of external rotation can be improved.

Detailed description

Erb's palsy is form of brachial plexus palsy which involves injury to cervical nerve roots c5 c6 causing loss of movements and deformities i.e., internally rotated shoulder, hanging arm and waiter's tip hand deformity. Most common risk factors are shoulder dystocia, maternal obesity, breech presentation and high birth weight of child. Its incidence is 0.42 per 1000 live births in which 25% experience permanent impairment and injury. Both Conservative and non-conservative treatment protocols are applied in erb's palsy but key interventions are positioning in early infancy, passive range of motions and gentle stretching. Another latest treatment approach is intensive physical therapy in which single session duration is extended to three to four hours with combination of treatments. This study will be randomized control trial, used to check effectiveness of intensive physical therapy to restore shoulder external rotation in erb's palsy. Subjects with erb's palsy meeting the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria will be divided into two groups by using lottery method. Pre assessment will be done by using AROM on goniometer as objective measurement. Subject in one group will be treated with intensive physical therapy and the other with conventional treatment. Each subject will receive 5 Treatment sessions per week for 6 months. Recorded values will be analyzed by using SPSS version 25

Conditions

• Erbs Palsy

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Intensive physical therapy	Intensive physical therapy treatment protocol was given for 3 months 3 times a week including 1.5- 2-hour session. Pre and post treatment assessments were taken. It included stretching for 20 min, Proprioception on ball for 20 minutes, quadruped for 10 min, vibration therapy for 20 min, tapping twice a month for 5 days, sensory therapy with beans for 20 min, supine lying with hand below head for 10-15 min, texturing for 15 min and activity of making tower with cups and hitting in outward direction for 15-20 min.
OTHER	Non intensive physical therapy	Non intensive therapy included 45 min session 3 times a week for 3 months. Pre and post treatment assessments were taken. The protocol included stretching for 20 min, cross friction massage for 15 min, Ball catch and throw for 15 min. progression was made from light to heavy weight ball.

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-10-30
• Primary completion: 2021-05-30
• Completion: 2021-06-30
• First posted: 2021-07-28
• Last updated: 2021-07-28

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Pakistan