Rehabilitation of patients with cerebral palsy and complications caused by the nervous system lesions

Rehabilitation of patients with cerebral palsy and complications caused by the nervous system lesions

Rehabilitation using the Professor Kozyavkin Method (the Intensive Neurophysiological Rehabilitation System (INRS) is indicated for patients with all forms of cerebral palsy.

Treatment is aimed at improving the child’s motor, cognitive and speech skills, normalising muscle tone, increasing the active and passive range of motion, and improving blood circulation, metabolism and tissue trophics. The rehabilitation system is based on a multimodal principle involving different methods to impact the patient’s body. Each of these methods supplements and potentiates one other.

By stimulating the compensatory capabilities in the child’s body and activating brain plasticity, the INRS creates a new functional condition that opens a wide range of opportunities for the child’s motor and cognitive development.
The method includes consistent and long-term therapy, which is regularly scheduled in two alternate phases. Therapy duration is prescribed individually and depends on the patient’s age and somatic and psycho-neurological symptoms.

The intensive correction phase is carried out in a rehabilitation facility in 10 to 11 days.

It includes:

1. A medical examination, video monitoring of gross motor skills, assessment of the child’s physical, cognitive, motor, speech, and social development before and after treatment.
2. A basic set of therapeutic measures:
• Biomechanical correction of the spine
• Limb joint mobilization
• Reflexotherapy
• Mobilization exercises
• Special massage system
• Apitherapy

3. Taking into account the patient’s age, physical abilities and severity of the disease, the attending physician may also prescribe a number of additional individual procedures:

• Orofacial massage
• Gait correction on a treadmill
• Mechanotherapy
• Computer game therapy
• Vibration therapy
• Light therapy

Parents are actively involved in the rehabilitation process and learn practical physiotherapy and massage skills to continue working with the child at home.

The stabilization and potentiation phase is carried out by parents and family members or by local medical staff at the patient’s home or place of residence (in 3-6-12 months) in line with therapeutic recommendations. Taking into account the patient’s individual indicators, this rehabilitation programme may include hydrokinesis, swimming, ergotherapy, cycling, hippotherapy, dolphin therapy, etc.

The multi-faceted therapeutic effects of this method, mutually complementing and enhancing one another, are aimed at achieving the ultimate rehabilitation goal – to improve the quality of life for patients with CP.