Bobath versus Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation in Retraining of Balance and Functional Independence in Activities of Daily Living

Aim: To ascertain the comparative efficacy of Bobath and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation in retraining of balance and functional independence in the activities of daily living.

Study Design: Pre-post experimental design.

Place and Duration: The study took place at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu between May and August 2013.

Methodology: In this study, a total of 50 (29 men and 21 women) stroke survivors with a modal age of 60-65 years were purposively recruited, examined, treated and re-evaluated four-weekly. This study lasted for 12 weeks. Functional independence in activities of daily living (ADL) and balance were assessed using the Barthel Index (BI) and the Berg Balance Scale respectively. The gain in function was calculated as the differences between baseline and post-treatment scores. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23, with α set at 0.01.

Results: Comparing gain in functional independence in ADL between Bobath and PNF, the result showed significantly consistent higher gain with the use of Bobath (p < 0.001, 0.02 and 0.04). No statistically significant difference was found in the balance between Bobath and PNF in any of the months (p= 0.16, 0.25 and 0.08). However, going by the clinical important difference of 3 on the Berg balance scale, Bobath was found to be more efficacious than PNF after three months.

Conclusion: Bobath appears superior to PNF in the retraining of balance and functional independence in ADL.