Abstract:

Introduction: Cerebral palsy is a disorder that affects the immature brain with consequent loss of posture, functional abilities and consequent changes in body composition. Objective: To compare the evolution of motor response and body composition of children with quadriplegia and diplegia undergoing Intensive Neuromotor Therapy (INMT). Methodology: The study included 13 children diagnosed with cerebral palsy, 7 with quadriplegia and 6 with diplegia, which were evaluated using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) and Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) in pre and post intervention INMT. Results: quadriplegic patients show significant gains in GMFM-88 in the dimension (lying and rolling), with p = 0.017 and B (sitting), with p = 0.043. The diplegic achieved significant gains in size D (standing), with p = 0.043. When comparing the two groups, it was found that quadriplegic had significantly greater gains than diplegic in size A, with p <0.001. In diplegic body composition analysis obtained significant gains in fat mass and lean mass, with p = 0.046 and 0.028, respectively. The quadriplegics have earned trend in lean body mass. Conclusion: It was observed that the quadriplegic patients had significantly greater improvements in the dimensions A compared with diplegic patients, probably because they are more serious in motor repertoire and greater possibilities for development in this dimension, while diplegic patients are favored in the dimension D with likely positive effects on body composition. Furthermore, INMT appears to be a safe method for obtaining motor gain and maintenance / improvement of body composition.

Keywords: