Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Turkish Journal of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, cilt.34, sa.2, ss.235-240, 2023 (ESCI)
Purpose: Asymmetric use of the upper extremity as a result of injury in children with Obstetric Brachial Plexus Injury (OBPI) affects the development of postural control and postural sway values. The objective of the present study was to investigate the changes in postural sway values in children with OBPI and to compare them with healthy controls. Methods: Fifty-five children with OBPI with a mean age of 6.35±1.40 years and 45 healthy subjects with typical development, with a mean age of 6.09±0.76 years were included in the study. Demographic information of both groups and the degree of injury of children with OBPI according to the Narakas Classification System were recorded. The postural sway values of the postural control parameters of the groups were obtained with the Balance Check Screener force platform (Model BP5050; Bertec, Columbus, OH, USA). Results: In the statistical analysis, demographic characteristics between the groups were found to be similar (p>0.05). The statistics related to anteroposterior oscillation values were found to be significantly increased in patients with OBPI compared to healthy patients with typical development (p<0.05). It was observed that the amount of oscillation in the medio-lateral direction was higher in OBPY cases with eyes closed and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). No difference was observed between the results of the groups in terms of medio-lateral oscillation values obtained with eyes open on hard and soft ground (p>0.05). Conclusion: The results of our study showed that the postural sway of children with OBPI increased when compared to their healthy peers. It is assumed that the asymmetric development of the upper extremities and the emergence of compensations as a result of injury in children with OBPI negatively affect the development of postural control. In this context, it is recommended to evaluate the effects of trunk asymmetry, postural control and balance losses from a holistic perspective, instead of treatment approaches involving only the affected extremity in individuals with OBPI, and to create treatment strategies for them in the earliest period and include them in treatment programs.