Effect of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation on independence and assisted gait in Miller Fisher syndrome. A case report

Salvador Torres-González, National School of Higher Studies, León Campus, UNAM, León, Gto., Mexico
Laura N. Casas-Castillo, National School of Higher Studies, León Campus, UNAM, León, Gto., Mexico

A descriptive case study of a single 16-year-old subject diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, Miller Fisher variant, with a 2-year history of onset. The intervention technique was proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF), which was applied for 30 sessions 50 min over a 10-week period. Pre- and post-intervention analyses were performed to assess the results. The following were evaluated: joint range of motion, muscle strength, deep tendon and pathological reflexes, dermatomes, and movements; as well as the application of the functional independence scale and biomechanical gait analysis using Kinovea 2023 version 1.1 software, assessing the following temporal and spatiotemporal variables: toe-off angle, foot elevation, step length, and gait speed. The intervention resulted in an increase in muscle strength and complete movements, as well as joint and dermatome ranges within the norm. Regarding the biomechanical analysis, there was a decrease in foot elevation on the right side and an increase on the left side, resulting in a difference of 7.45 cm compared to the initial evaluation. There was a decrease in step length bilaterally, a decrease in foot angles bilaterally, and an improvement in speed with a difference of 00.15.24 m/s. It is concluded that PNF can generate favorable changes in the temporal and spatiotemporal.

Keywords: Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. Physical therapy. Miller Fisher syndrome. Guillain-Barré. Exercise.