Effects of Vojta Therapy on the Motor Function of Children with Neuromotor Disorders: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Infantile cerebral palsy is a neurological pathology that causes great morbidity, mortality, and disability in people who suffer from it, mainly affecting motor development. There are a multitude of non-pharmacological methods or therapies for its treatment. One of the main methods is Vojta therapy. This methodology acts on ontogenetic postural function and automatic postural control. Objective: This study aims to demonstrate that there are changes in the motor development of children with cerebral palsy with the application of Vojta therapy. Methods and analysis: This is a randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of two neurorehabilitation techniques in patients with cerebral palsy conducted at the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service of the Teresa Herrera Maternal and Child Hospital of the A Coruña and Cee Health Area. The study will be conducted from January 2023 to December 2024. There will be two groups: the Vojta therapy group (n = 30) and the conventional physiotherapy group (n = 30). The measurement variables will be gross motor function as measured by the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and Infant Motor Profile (IMP) scales. Ethics and dissemination: The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Murcia (1823/2018) and Comité de Ética de la Investigación de A Coruña-Ferrol (2022/099). Trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov; identifier: NCT06092619.

Keywords

• cerebral palsy
• Vojta therapy
• neuromotor disorder
• neurorehabilitation
• brain injury