|
Vojta Therapy: Treatment History
Vojta Therapy (reflexlocomotion) is a highly specialized type of physical
therapy that is designed to primarily enhance the motor development of a child.
The treatment has added benefits of improvements in cognition, fine motor,
breathing, and digestion. Vojta therapy is quite well known and well received
across Europe and Japan and is expanding around the globe.
Professor Dr. Hellbruegge of the Kindercentrum (Children’s Centre), University
of Munich, developed the groundbreaking Vojta therapy, centered on Dr. Vojta’s
pioneering research in this field. Vojta therapy, the brainchild of Dr.
Hellbruegge, spread to other parts of Europe and the whole world from Germany
through an international system of collaboration. Pediatricians like Dr.
Terrance Stull and Dr. Robert Block played major roles along with Fr. Paul
Zahler, in bringing the Vojta therapy system from Germany to the United States.
Dr. Vojta’s research can be divided into two main streams:
1) Neurological evaluation leading to the development of a methodology of
evaluating child development, its dynamics and major disorders.
2) The concept of the nervous system as an open system endowed with a basic,
phylogenetic make-up; yet capable of receiving various stimulations that may
affect the functioning of the nervous system and have an effect on its
anatomical maturation. The reflex locomotion is the physical representation of
the meeting of these two complementary aspects.
"Global patterns" form the basis of Reflexlocomotion. These were discovered by
Vojta in 1954. The term "global pattern" refers to the motor responses that
arise during the application of Reflexlocomotion. Skeletal musculature through
out the entire body is activated in a coordinated manner and the centralnervous
system is addressed at all it's regulatory levels.
The therapeutic goals of Reflexlocomotion are: to facilitate the automatic
regulation or control of the body's position, to facilitate the active
maintenance of the support function of the extremities, and to stimulate
coordinated muscle activity. These skills are disturbed to a greater or lesser
extent in every central or peripheral lesion of the nervous systems or
impairment of the movement apparatus. The pathological, substitute patterns of
movement that then arise can be treated by Reflexlocomotion.
Vojta.com
Vojta Therapy: Clinic brings a
therapy used in Europe to area
More Information
|
