US physiotherapists have tested a support harness linked to pulleys and a metal frame to facilitate the child’s movements in the three planes of space at home:
- 32 children with SMN1-related proximal spinal muscular atrophy (with 2 or 3 copies of the SMN2 gene) aged on average 2.9 years took part in this prospective study, all of whom were receiving or had received innovative therapies,
- the children used the equipment for an average of 4.1 hours a week,
- all stabilised or improved their motor performance at 3 and 6 months, to the great satisfaction of their parents.
Although it is difficult to distinguish between the positive effect of the pharmacological treatment and the improvement obtained by this new equipment, this research highlights the value of physical exercise in this population of children.
