Rajarajeshwari Balakrishnan

By Deepak Sharan, Joshua Samuel Rajkumar, Rajarajeshwari Balakrishnan and Amruta Kulkarni

Persons with Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels IV and V are considered as severe cerebral palsy (CP) and are non-ambulatory. These persons are at a higher risk of complications such as hip displacement (sub-luxation or dislocation), spinopelvic deformities, musculoskeletal pain, low bone mineral density and low energy fracture. The recommended management strategy at present for this group is wheelchair-aided mobility, with which none of these complications can be prevented. There is a strong need to evaluate alternative methods of treatment that can allow assisted ambulation in persons with severe CP. The role of Single Event Multilevel Lever Arm Restoration and AntiSpasticity Surgery (SEMLARASS) and protocol-based active rehabilitation on gross motor function and ambulation of non-ambulatory persons with CP at GMFCS levels IV and V is examined. Active rehabilitation involves making the person with severe CP active through most of the waking hours and participating actively in the rehabilitation. A well-planned and executed SEMLARASS, followed by intensive, protocol-based, sequenced multidisciplinary active rehabilitation, provides the persons with GMFCS levels IV and V a significant functional improvement in gross motor function and mobility.

Part of the book: Cerebral Palsy