Effectiveness of an individual physical rehabilitation programme in a group of patients with Hansen’s disease

Summary

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of individualised rehabilitation programmes intended to reduce disabilities in patients with Hansen’s disease. Methodology: This is an interventional study (before and after), carried out among ten leprosy patients whose previous multidisciplinary assessment (medical, physiotherapy, and biomechanical) designated to them an individualised rehabilitation programme according to the singular condition of each patient. Patients were evaluated every three months for one year. Results: 70% of participants were male, 60% of who presented disability Grade 2, 30% Grade 1 and 10% Grade 0. All patients had abnormalities in gait parameters (step width and speed). Furthermore, 100% of patients displayed improvement in flexibility, arch joint movement and strength. Conclusions: The implementation of individualised rehabilitation programmes allowed us to detect nerve damage. Early implementation of an individualised rehabilitation programme may mitigate and/or prevent the progression of disability in people affected by leprosy.