Decline in Motor Function during the COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions and Its Recovery in a Child with Cerebral Palsy: A Case Report

• Main Authors: Daiki Asano, Naoko Kikuchi, Toru Yamakawa, Shu Morioka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
• Series: Children
• Subjects: cerebral palsy; home confinement; COVID-19; motor function; recovery
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/6/511

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) experience various restrictions owing to their underdeveloped mobility. Home confinement due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic may further increase these restrictions. We report the case of a 7-year-old boy with CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System level IV) whose motor function declined during the period when physical therapy was discontinued due to lockdown, approximately four months. At the end of the home confinement, the patient’s ability to maintain a sitting posture and weight-bearing capacity of the lower extremities decreased. His Gross Motor Function Measure total score also decreased from 34.5% to 31.9%. After resuming physical therapy, the patient recovered the function status seen before the discontinuation of physical therapy, but this took almost twice as long as the confinement period. We reaffirm that frequent physical therapy is crucial for maintaining motor function in non-ambulatory children with CP. As a countermeasure for the future, urgent efforts are needed for the development of telerehabilitation.