Music therapy can play a vital role in supporting children with severe acquired brain injury (ABI) to meet their walking rehabilitation goals, a new study has found.
First-of-its-kind research has suggested that rhythmic auditory stimulation could augment the physiotherapy ordinarily offered to children and young people who sustain serious brain injury.
The practice aims to improve walking speed and quality of movement by using rhythms to provide cues for patients’ stepping rate. In establishing neurological connections between the auditory prompts and physical movements, the technique has been shown to facilitate smoother and more coordinated walking patterns.
While the potential of rhythmic auditory stimulation has never before been explored in the context of treating children with ABI, the approach has been found to improve walking speed among people who have survived stroke, those living with Parkinson’s disease and, more recently, children with cerebral palsy.
All participants in the pilot study showed improvement as a result of rhythmic auditory stimulation being added to their rehabilitation programme, with the most marked advances evident in walking quality.
In light of these findings, the study’s authors believe adding the technique to other interventions could help improve the outlook for children with ABI.
Dr Jonathan Pool, senior research Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University’s Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research and an author of the study, said: “This is the first study to look at rhythmic auditory stimulation for children and young people with acquired brain injury.
“As a pilot study, it provides initial evidence of the effect of music on gait rehabilitation for this population and has revealed insights into some of the issues for researchers in this area.
“While showing variation across participants in the benefits of rhythmic auditory stimulation, the study findings are encouraging and indicate that the detailed assessment of quality of movement should be considered alongside other tests when measuring functional gains in gait rehabilitation.”
