Journal of Novel Physiotherapies
Open Access

Abstract

Children are expected to participate in physical activity without pain and with full function. Pain causes immobility, discomfort and misery. Children may complain of pain but are ignored, told it is growing, over- or under-use pains of muscles and bones. Children have no clear experience to differentiate pains. They react to an immediate situation. The mission of the NCHID (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) is to ensure that all children have the chance to achieve their â�?�?â�?¦full potential for healthy and productive livesâ�?¦â�? Abdominal pain affects 10 â�?�? 20% of school age children. Musculoskeletal dysfunction may be the cause for abdominal pain. how is this addressed? AdRx (Adapted Reflextherapy) is reported as a manual therapy applied on the feet in context of pain. The hypothesis is that sensory stimulus facilitates synaptic potentiation by nerve plasticity. This has been particularly beneficial in acute and chronic pain states. Anatomical and physiological plasticity are ongoing processes in tissue matrix ensuring continued replacement and regeneration of damaged tissue material ensuring synaptic interchanges. This presentation includes 3 case studies of children suffering from severe pain a) abdominal pain, b) Achilles tendon pain, c) pain during void and bowel evacuation procedures associated with severe dermatitis. Symptoms had severe inhibitory effects on the childrenâ�?�?s lives. Application of AdRx offered good outcomes. An interactive debate on a common denominator of childrenâ�?�?s pain and method of treatment in context of physiotherapy intervention is encouraged.

Biography

Gunnel Berry is a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in 1974 having trained at the Middlesex Hospital London. She completed her MSc degree in Advanced Physiotherapy at the University College London in 1995. Having worked in Sweden, Great Britain and Borneo, she was trained as a Reflexologist in 1989 at the Bayly School of Reflexology. After participating in an audit into the clinical role of physiotherapy within a GP practice she developed Adapted Reflextherapy (AdRx) as a method to address pain. She has presented and published papers on AdRx at Physical Therapy Congresses in Barcelona, Birmingham, Chicago and in The Journal of Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice amongst others. Although retired from clinical practice, she is the Educational Officer of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Reflex Therapy.

Email: gunnel.berry1@gmail.com