Abstract :
Purpose: Worldwide, the incidence of Guillian-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is 1.1 to 1.8 per 100,000 annually. At three years, about 30% of patients with GBS have residual weakness resulting in activity and participation restriction. In those with persistent weakness, foot drop is a common sequel. Individuals with GBS are often treated with a multidisciplinary approach but isolated strategies for foot drop are usually neglected. The need for the review arises from the lacunae in the literature regarding PT interventions for foot drop in GBS.
Relevance: Recovery from foot drop is considered essential for functioning and independence. A systematic review of available literature could provide necessary evidence for therapists’ to make informed decisions on therapeutic strategies that could aid in recovery from foot drop.
Material and Methods: PubMed, PEDro, CENTRAL and Google Scholar were searched on 24th October 2017 using a comprehensive search strategy, using 63 word variations for GBS, Foot drop, and therapies. The search results were screened by two reviewers using predetermined inclusion criteria. Intervention studies (RCT, Quasi RCT, Non RCT, single group designs) and case reports of patients with acute variants of GBS (AMAN & AMSAN) were included in the review.
Analysis: The review attempted to perform a qualitative synthesis of the included studies.
Results: The search yielded 36 articles out of which 3 papers (total of 38 participants) met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. All studies used ankle foot orthosis (AFO) as the main line of management for foot drop. None reported the effect of exercise or electrical therapy interventions for foot drop.
Conclusion: AFO remains the management of choice for foot drop in individuals with GBS.
Implications: These findings state the dire need for future research in exercise and electrical therapies for recovery from foot drop in GBS.
Keyword :
Guillian-Barre Syndrome, Foot Drop, Physiotherapy Interventions