Effectiveness of Pelvic Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation on Trunk Control in Children with Spastic Diplegia:A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: One of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder seen in children is Cerebral palsy and it is associated with lifelong disability. Impaired trunk control effects performances of daily life such as sitting, reaching and walking. It is evidenced from studies that pelvic asymmetry is common in children with CP. The PNF patterns of pelvis not only exercises the pelvic motion and stability, but also facilitates trunk motion and stability. Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of pelvic PNF techniques on trunk control in children with spastic diplegia. Method/Design: 36 diplegic children irrespective of gender, age group between 8-15 years were recruited for the study. The intervention group received pelvic PNF along with the conventional therapy for 4 weeks. The control group received conventional physiotherapy in form of truncal exercises for 4 weeks. The primary outcomes used were TCMS and PALM. Results: The results showed that there is an improvement in the TCMS score after the application of pelvic PNF techniques on children with spastic diplegia. Conclusion: Application of PNF along with conventional therapy helps in improving trunk control and reducing disability in children with spastic diplegia.