Timely choice of treatment will allow you to get a good effect in identifying a child's diseases of the nervous system. Proper selection of the treatment regimen will allow you to successfully restore motor functions and related skills: speech, walking and eating. The effectiveness of the rehabilitation period in adults with lesions of the peripheral and central parts of the nervous system is also determined by minimizing the period from the moment of the lesion to the start of treatment. One of the methods that really showed their practical effectiveness, judging by the reviews, is Voight's method.
Vojta Therapy Basics
Blocking the passage of nerve impulses, as a result of damage to nerve fibers during neurological pathology, provokes erroneous movements. Voight's method - reflex gymnastics, forms movement patterns typical of a healthy human body.
In the middle of the last century, the then Czechoslovakian doctor Vaclav Vojta was able to develop a method for recovering children with diagnosed cerebral palsy. The author based reflex gymnastics in the form of irritation of points on the surface of the skin of the child and the reflex movements caused by this. Repeated repetition of combinations of irritation-contraction causes the formation of new motor reflexes. The method is called reflex locomotion.
Multiple, regular classes allow not only to unlock the transmission of nerve impulses along peripheral nerve fibers, but also to activate sections of the cerebral cortex responsible for processing impulses. By gradually complicating the exercises, you can form the right reflex muscle reactions in the child.
Especially good results can be obtained by combining the Voight method in cerebral palsy with treatment with other (kinesic and hardware) methods, as well as drug therapy.
Indications for use
Voight's method has been shown to be effective in treating a number of pathological conditions:
- Cerebral palsy.
- Of varying severity, coordination disturbances.
- Pathologies of the development of the musculoskeletal system.
- Spinal curvature of various etiologies, including scoliosis.
- Pathologies associated with joints and ligamentous apparatus: dysplasia, clubfoot, flat valgus foot.
- Torticollis.
But, the caution method is used with caution in epilepsy and other convulsive diseases.
In his works, the author noted the greatest effect of applying the Voight method in cerebral palsy. Pathological rectal reflexes in newborns have not yet been formed. And in the case of a complete blockage of the nerve paths - they respond to treatment. With timely initiation of therapy, the child is almost 100% able to learn the necessary actions and catch up with their peers.
Voight gymnastics is aimed at activating the nervous system and developing spontaneous correct motor skills. Therefore, the basic rule is the systematic training. Repetitive physiological movements can prevent the formation of pathological.
Vojta therapy and children
The method is successfully used in children of any age, starting with the chest. The basis for the appointment of the course are the established diagnosis and the specific goal of therapy. It is better to start treatment until the replacement motility has time to form. If a patient is taken on a course with already fixed replacement motor models, then the first stage of treatment will be aimed at activating physiological movement models. And only then will the non-fixed anomalous reflex be transferred to a normal state.
The cry of an infant during the procedure is a manifestation of an activated state. The reaction of parents to a cry is natural, suggesting that the child is hurt. In fact, screaming is a natural reaction of a patient of this age to an unusual situation. After some time of adaptation and habituation, the cry loses its intensity. During breaks, the child quickly stops screaming. Older children do not scream, they report their experiences in words.
Vojta therapy with adults
Damage to the nervous system in adults is most often acquired in nature. Voight treatment gives good results, both in the early stages - in the acute period, and at the rehabilitation stage. The goal is to restore the availability of lost healthy motor models and prevent negative consequences in the form of pain, impaired functionality and reduced strength. The main focus of the course is to return to the patient the opportunity to lead a full life: in the conditions of a family, school, restoration of professional skills, etc.
Therapy efficacy
Comparative studies have proven the positive effect of Voight's method at physiological and psychological levels. It should be understood that this is not a panacea. Each patient requires an individual rehabilitation program aimed at systemically improving his body.
Numerous positive reviews of Voight's method indicate its unconditional effectiveness. Thousands of treated children began to feel the body and were given the opportunity to control it.
Effects in Cerebral Disorders
Improving the condition of children with CNS pathologies after a course of therapy is manifested in the form of:
- Reduced motor arousal.
- Improvements in abdominal support.
- Develop stability.
- Improved attention spans.
- The emergence of a stable interest in toys.
- Sleep enhancements.
- Termination of salivation.
- Improvements in swallowing and articulation functions.
- Stabilization of the oculomotor muscles: the nystagmus decreases or disappears, the coordination of eye movement improves.
As a result, the child’s contact with the outside world becomes more diverse and full.
Effects in the presence of peripheral paresis
In the pathology of the peripheral nervous system, the positive influence of the method is manifested as follows:
- Improving peripheral blood circulation normalizes bone growth and mineralization.
- Sensitive disorders decrease or completely disappear.
- The trophic function of muscle tissue is restored.
- Automatic motility is activated.
- The muscles involved in breathing work more efficiently.
- Significantly reduced symptoms of articular contractures.
- The activity of the bladder and intestines is normalized.
Vojta therapy procedure
At the preliminary stage, Vojta diagnostics is carried out, during which the type of violation, its severity, and the ratio with age norms are determined. The result will be the appointment of a course, the duration of which can vary depending on the effectiveness of the conduct.
The session begins with a warming massage. Then exercises are carried out in accordance with the program. The child is located in a certain lying position (on his stomach, on his side or back), while the specialist, acting on reflex points, causes involuntary movements in the child. This can be manifested by flips, stretching or bending the arm or leg.
Contraindications
Vojta therapy cannot be used in a number of cases:
- The acute phase of infectious, inflammatory and viral diseases.
- 1-2 weeks after vaccination.
- Severe cardiovascular disease.
- Pregnancy.
With epilepsy, the Voight method can only be used in a gentle system. In other conditions that worsen well-being, the intensity of the sessions must be reduced in accordance with the condition of the patient, but a complete cancellation is not required.
Voight massage at home
Excellent results allow you to achieve a variety of home massage. Voight's method is the most effective and popular direction. A specialized technique is mastered by specialists with higher education. A simplified version for home use can be mastered by anyone. The technique will allow you to get rid of functional disorders: sleep disorders with eruptive teeth, poor health during meteorological differences, digestive disorders and others.
The Vojta-therapy method combines acupressure, kinesiotherapy techniques, elements of gymnastics in its arsenal. When exposed to reflex points in certain poses, movements are triggered that are ahead of the physical development of the baby. But remembering them at a nervous level, he will master them much faster as he grows up.
You can start classes from a weekly age. The first lessons should be carried out with the participation of an experienced practitioner. It is at least useless to study the methodology for unverified benefits from the Internet independently, and the maximum is dangerous for the baby’s health. The best option is to take a training course at regional or regional training centers.
An experienced specialist affects the body of a patient in different poses, 10 zones on the body and limbs are involved. Depending on the problem being solved, their individual combination complexes are developed. Manipulations can be carried out on a sufficient solid surface area, for example, a changing table. All techniques are performed symmetrically on both sides. The break between classes during the day should be at least 3-4 hours, that is, no more than 4 lessons per day. The duration of the session is from 5 minutes, with a gradual increase in duration to 20 minutes. The course lasts 20 days. A break between courses of at least a month.
A few simple and affordable exercises
The following set of exercises can be learned by people without a special medical education. This will allow you to engage several times a day and achieve better results.
- Conducting lesson is located to the left of the child lying on his back. With your left hand, pressurize 1-2 cm below the nipple (you can use the bent phalanx of the index finger). With his right hand, they pull up the skin behind the right auricle. At the same time, the reflex leg will be pulled to the stomach, the head will turn to the side - actions preceding the side turning. The baby should be stopped and manipulated on the other hand. An additional positive effect from classes: there will be colic and pain caused by them.
- Turn the child on his side, his lower arm should be stretched forward, the upper arm along the torso. The lower leg is bent at the knee and hip joints, the heel is at the level of the priest. Upper - straight with abduction anteriorly. The adult is located behind the back of the child. With his right hand he pulls the skin on the scapula, and with his left - he puts pressure on the femur protruding from the abdomen. This will provoke pulling up the legs, raising the head. A little more and he will sit down. We stop the movement and carry out the procedure on the other hand.
- The adult is located to the left of the child lying on his stomach with his head turned to the right. The baby’s right hand is at the head, the left is extended along the body. The left leg should be bent at the knee joint. While holding the left lower leg and pressure on the right heel, the child pushes away and tries to crawl. We stop the rush and repeat the procedure from the other side.
Intensity and Dosing
The effectiveness of reflex locomotion is not in doubt. But the procedures themselves, especially the first classes, can be tiring for the child. Since the best effect can be achieved by regular, everyday (preferably several times a day) classes, an important and responsible role is given to parents and relatives. Daily lessons of 5-20 minutes 3-4 times a day can be held only by parents and relatives. The trainer of an adult patient can be a spouse, or any other close person who is not indifferent to the fate of the patient.