42 year old spina bifida patient, who goes to the social workplace, lives independently and is wheelchair-dependent. He is dependent on the support function of his arms and legs during transfers. The handicap relates especially to his back and lower extremities: S-scoliose and spastic. Patient has pain in shoulder girdles, right wrist and thumb due to strain. Patient has had therapy with the accent on combating contracture since his birth.
Therapy:
This patient has been treated according to the Bugnet method for a number of years. The result is that he no longer needs to wear a brace on his right wrist, his strain symptoms are zero. Remarkably the frequently returning skin infection below his knee has not occurred for three years. The therapy consists of a combination of two exercises from the Bugnet book. Patient is treated once a week and uses the stability exercises in his daily mobility.
Reaction of patient:
My handicap is Spina Bifida, I am in a wheelchair and am dependent on it but I can still stand up and I want to keep my muscles and joints supple for as long as possible. I want to live independently for as long as possible. I can still do nearly everything myself. Therefore therapy is important to me.
I have had physiotherapy according to the Bugnet method for a number of years. From experience I know how it differs from other therapies. I do Bugnet exercises to become stronger. I have become more stable and can stand up better. How do I do that? My legs are bound together with tape with a roll between my knees. I have two Indian clubs in my hands, I must make sure that I am lying straight and then I tense all my muscles, such as stomach and buttocks, for a count of ten, keeping my back straight and pushing my legs against the physiotherapist's hands. Then I relax for a count of four, my legs relax almost completely through this and the blood circulates better and my feet look better and my feet are less cold. These exercises can also be done sitting down and then I hold onto the back of my chair. In the Bugnet method I tense my muscles by stretching and bending, and through this I have more control of my body. Don't think it is easy, because the muscles become hot and then I get tired.