Efecto de la locomoción refleja en la prevención de la osteopenia en el bebé prematuro

Abstract

MeSH: Premature infant, Metabolic bone disease, Physical therapy modalities, neonatal intensive care units, bone mineralization, exercise therapy. Introduction Osteopenia is common in preterm infants, and it is produced by a deficiency in bone mineral availability. Although Physiotherapy treatment with passive mobilizations with gentle joint compression (PMC) has shown benefits, the effect of reflex locomotion therapy (RLT) is unknown. Objectives To determine the effect of RLT on mineralization, bone remodelling, and growth in preterm infants, and its comparison with PMC. Methods Two randomized clinical trials were conducted with three treatment groups and a sample of 106 premature babies. The first multicentre study with patients from the Virgen de la Arrixaca University Clinical Hospital (HCUVA), the Torrecárdenas Hospital in Almería and the General University Hospital of Elche; and the second study, with preterm infants from HCUVA. The effect of RLT versus PMC and massage on mineralization, bone remodeling and growth of preterm infants was compared. Results There are significant differences in favour of the group treated with RLT in mineralization (p = 0.049), bone formation (p = 0.013), and height (p = 0.018), compared to the other groups. No differences were observed in the anthropometric variables of weight and head circumference. Conclusions RLT has been shown to be more effective in improving bone mineralization, bone formation, and growth than PMC in preterm infants. This fact makes RLT one of the physiotherapy modalities of choice for the treatment and prevention of osteopenia of prematurity. MeSH: Premature infant, Metabolic bone disease, Physical therapy modalities, neonatal intensive care units, bone mineralization, exercise therapy.