[Physiotherapy applied to the upper extremity in 0 to 10-year-old children with obstetric brachial palsy: a systematic review]

Abstract

Introduction: Obstetric brachial palsy is involved with affected upper limb, resulting in permanent structural and function sequelae that limit the motion articular range and reduce independence in daily activities, as well as the children participation in their natural environment.

Aim: To describe the physiotherapy treatments currently used to increase the affected upper limb functionality in children from 0 to 10 years diagnosed with obstetric brachial palsy.

Patients and methods: A bibliographic search of published studies between 2009 and 2018 was carried out in the PubMed, PEDro, ScienceDirect and The Cochrane Library databases.

Results: After applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria, ten studies were obtained with favorable results for the affected upper limb functionality and bone mineralization density, regardless of the technique of choice used during the intervention. The used physiotherapy programs in the different studies such as Constraint Induced movement therapy, kinesiotape, electrotherapy, virtual reality and use of splints or orthotics were analyzed.

Conclusion: All the described techniques suggest favorable results for the affected upper limb functionality in obstetric brachial palsy from 0 to 10 years.