Мedical rehabilitation of children with spinal dysrafism

The development of a system of staged medical care for the medical rehabilitation of children with spinal dysraphism is an important and urgent task of pediatrics.

Spinal dysraphism is accompanied by flaccid paresis or paralysis of the lower extremities, as well as a violation of the function of the pelvic organs. In most cases, various deformations of the feet are observed, congenital dislocations of the hip are often found.

Medical rehabilitation begins immediately after surgical treatment in intensive care units and specialized departments. At the first stage, one of the important tasks is the correction of pelvic disorders. For this purpose, electrical stimulation, drug electrophoresis, magnetotherapy are used depending on the type of neurogenic bladder dysfunction. Currently, the effectiveness of high-intensity pulsed magnetotherapy in children with areflex bladder has been proven. The second stage of medical rehabilitation should be carried out if available in rehabilitation departments, medical rehabilitation centers and aimed at correcting motor impairment. Along with instrumental physiotherapy, modern technologies of physiotherapy exercises are actively introduced, aimed at strengthening the muscles of the lower extremities, preventing muscle atrophy.

The third stage of medical rehabilitation is the longest, carried out on an outpatient basis and includes various health technologies, such as aeroionotherapy, halotherapy, balneotherapy, and mud therapy.

Timely implementation of rehabilitation measures with the inclusion of physical factors in the early postoperative period and the consistent expansion of physiotherapy and kinesitherapy technologies at all stages of medical rehabilitation significantly increases the effectiveness of rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries and improves their quality of life.