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The role of physiotherapy in recovery from generalized tetanus: Two case reports.

Abiola Fafolahan*, Oladunni Sodipo, Kafayat Adeoye, Badiru Musa, Erioluwa Jegede, Titilope Musari, Blessing Adeyemi

Background: A toxin produced by Clostridium tetani causes an acute illness called tetanus. Although there are still isolated incidences of the disease in emerging nations with social and economic squalor, the number of cases has dropped as a result of vaccination. This case study described the physical therapy treatments given to two patients at the Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta (FMCA) who were diagnosed with generalized tetanus.

Case presentation: The first case was a 14-year-old girl who was admitted after complaining of being unable to open her mouth and having abnormal bodily movements. The second patient was a 7 years old boy who also presented on account of an inability to open his mouth and stiffness of the muscles. Both patients were managed by pediatric physiotherapists at Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta (FMCA). Physical therapy interventions administered were soft tissue massage using stroking and frictional technique with topical analgesics, passive stretching to all muscle groups of both upper limbs and lower limbs, and passive movements to all joints of both upper limbs and lower limbs. In addition, bridging exercises, rhythmic stabilization in high sitting, trunk rolling, standing and walking re-education were also among the treatments administered. Following physical therapy rehabilitation, the patients demonstrated improvements in Range of Motion (ROM), strength, balance and ambulation.

Conclusion: Physical therapy was immensely helpful for the patients, who were then able to resume their usual activities of daily living.