Comparison of the effectiveness of Bobath and Vojta techniques in babies with Down syndrome: Randomized controlled study

Abstract

Aim: This study was performed to compare the effectiveness of two different early physiotherapy approaches in babies with Down syndrome (DS). Material and Methods: A total of 23 babies with DS aged between 0-24 months were included in the study. The babies were randomly divided into two groups: the Bobath-therapy (BT) group included 12 babies (6 girls, 6 boys) and the Vojta-technique (VT) group included 11 babies (4 girls,7 boys). A total of 12 sessions of physiotherapy were applied to the babies twice a week for 6 weeks. All evaluations were done before and after therapy. The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) was used for assessing motor development level of babies, the Beck Depression Scale (BDS) was used for assessing emotional status of mothers, and the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) was used for assessing the quality of life of mothers of babies. Results: Mean age of babies, AIMS, BDS and NHP scores were similar in both groups before the therapy (p>0.05). A significant improvement was detected in AIMS scores after therapy in both BT (p=0.001)and VT groups (p=0.001). The mean changes in the AIMS score between groups were 8.33 +/- 6.34 for BT, 7.27 +/- 3.46 for VT group (p>0.05). No statistically significant difference was detected between groups with regard to changes in AIMS (p=0.629), BDS (p=0.642) and NHP (p=0.726) scores. Discussion: Early treatment methods, BT and VT approaches, both improved motor performance levels in infants with DS, as well as improved mothers' emotional state and quality of life.