COMPARISON BETWEEN KINESITHERAPY, MAGNETIC FIELD AND THEIR COMBINATION FOR CEREBRAL MOTOR DISORDERS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
Authors:   Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Medical University of Sofia, Bulgaria., Kostova V.K , Aleksiev A. ,   Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Medical University of Sofia, Bulgaria.
Published: August 2021

Introduction:- There are no comparative studies between kinesitherapy, magnetic field, and their combination for cerebral motor disorders in early childhood. There is a consensus on the short-term but not on the long-term efficiency of magnetotherapy. There is a consensus on kinesitherapy but not on its optimal frequency. Aim: The first purpose of the study is to compare the short and long-term effects of kinesitherapy, magnetic field, and their combination for cerebral motor disorders in early childhood. The second purpose was to determine the optimal frequency of kinesitherapy. Material and methods:- Seventy-four children (age 6.91 Ã‚Â± 4.78 m corrected age 6.40 Ã‚Â± 5.08 m) with cerebral motor disorders participated in the study. The followed-up periods were two weeks and six months. Four of the groups were physiotherapeutic. One group was the control. The control group, consisting of 15 children, received once-daily placebo magnetic therapy for two weeks. The magnetotherapy group, including 14 children, received once-daily magnetotherapy for two weeks. The kinesitherapy group consisted of 18 children. They received once-daily kinesitherapy. The group with kinesitherapy + placebo magnetic therapy included 15 children. They received once-daily placebo magnetic therapy and once-daily kinesitherapy for two weeks. The combined group (kinesitherapy with magnetotherapy) consisted of 15 children. They received once-daily magnetic therapy and kinesitherapy for two weeks. The groups with kinesitherapy received instructions to perform it as often as possible at home. The following factors were registered and analyzed: pathological and primitive reflexes, kinesiology tests, cranial ultrasound, and frequency of kinesitherapy. Results:- At the beginning of the follow-up, there was no difference between the five groups regarding all factors (P>0.05). The combined group with kinesitherapy and magnetic field showed the best results at the end of the second week and the sixth month (P<0.05). The group with kinesitherapy and placebo magnetic therapy showed the second-best results (P<0.05). The results of the kinesitherapy group were worst than the previous groups but better than the control group (P<0.05). At a frequency of kinesitherapy twice daily, the binary index of kinesiology tests was 0.102, primitive reflexes - 0.308, and cranial ultrasound - 0.487. At a frequency of kinesitherapy three times daily, the binary index of kinesiology tests was 0.833, primitive reflexes - 0.955, and cranial ultrasound - 0.651. Conclusion:- Cranial ultrasound revealed relatively stationary morphological changes. However, the developing nervous system in cerebral motor disorders at early childhood showed significant positive dynamics and plasticity, verified by kinesiology tests, primitive and pathological reflexes. The best results showed the combined group with kinesitherapy and magnetic field. The effects of kinesitherapy and magnetic field upgraded over each other. Twice daily frequency of kinesitherapy achieved insignificant effectiveness, while three times daily - significant. The recommendation for cerebral motor disorders in early childhood to perform kinesitherapy at least three times daily is very important.