Researchers investigate functional performance in children with spina bifida

Spina bifda (SB) is a complex congenital central nervous system disease that is caused by the incomplete closing of the neural tubes during the embryonic phase. Many patients have varying degrees of spasticity, urinary and fecal incontinence and neurocognitive retardation. Such problems decrease the patients' functional independence and their quality of life. Researchers at Ankara Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Education and Research Hospital, Turkey investigate the functional performance in children with SB, using the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) to look into their capacity in different dimensions of self-care, mobility and social function. Hulya Sirzai and co-workers discovered that low-level lesions, encouraging muscular strength and independence in mobility are all very important factors for functional independence. The relevant article is reported in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 12, 2014).