Long-Term Results of the Study of Motor Functions in Epilepsy Patients with Motor Disorders who Passed the Course of Rehabilitation Treatment

Introduction. Epilepsy has a different nature and is characterized by a variety of clinical manifestations. The combination of epilepsy and movement disorders raises one of the most serious questions in neurorehabilitology: is the rehabilitation effect itself possible in epilepsy? At present, this issue cannot be considered resolved due to ongoing discussions.

Aim. To determine the long-term results of the rehabilitation of young children suffering from epilepsy accompanied by motor dysfunction.

Design. Single-center retrospective study.

Materials and methods. Тhe study group consisted of 38 patients (19 girls and the same number of boys) with epilepsy and movement disorders, who underwent rehabilitation treatment from 2005 to 2015 in the following volume: in the 1st group — medical massage, in the 2nd — Vojta-therapy and in the 3rd — a combination of these methods. The cycle consisted of three courses of treatment with an interval of 2 to 5 months. The course included 10–15 sessions for 25–30 minutes daily. A follow-up assessment of the state of motor functions was carried out in the period from 2020 to 2021, the average follow-up period was 121.89 ± 5.32 months, Me = 126.00 [96.00; 156.00], SD 32.84 after the end of medical rehabilitation during this period, patients continued to receive rehabilitation measures.

Results. Upon completion of the cycle of rehabilitation measures, a positive result was achieved in all 3 groups. We compared the indicators obtained at the end of rehabilitation and according to follow-up data. The most pronounced was the positive difference between the indicators after the end of the course and those obtained in the follow-up in the 3rd group (χ2 Pearson = 6.533; p = 0.038). In the 2nd group, the difference was also statistically significant (χ2 = 27.137; p = 0.001), but less than in the 3rd group. In the 1st group, the differences were the smallest, but, nevertheless, statistically significant (χ2 = 39.000, p = 0.0001). Thus, in all groups, a progressive improvement on the GMFCS scale was demonstrated, while in the 3rd group the result was the best.

Conclusion. Thus, the improvement on the GMFCS scale achieved during the rehabilitation of patients with epilepsy and impaired motor function can not only be maintained, but also improved.

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