FSHD University – Physical Therapy for Shoulder Issues in Kids

1:00 PM ET | noon CT | 11:00 AM MT | 10:00 AM PT

Join Maaike Pelsma, a pediatric physical therapist, to learn about shoulder dyskinesia in children with FSHD. Pelsma will describe how children with scapular weakness often use compensational strategies, especially when using the arm above shoulder level, that can be maladaptive, and may result in scapular dyskinesis. Scapular dyskinesis is the result of an imbalance of the various scapular muscles, either through muscle weakness, or coordination problems due to cortical (brain) maladaptation in relation to difficulties when using the arm. We hypothesize that scapular dyskinesis in FSHD could be caused by these maladaptations rather than muscle weakness. We have developed a therapy approach focused on motor control and energy conservation within scapulohumeral movement. Exercise therapy is focused on implicit and explicit strategies in which children are triggered to regain scapulohumeral control, such as throwing, pulling, pushing in stable or unstable body position, supine, prone, sitting or standing.

Maaike Pelsma is a pediatric physical therapist at Radboud University Hospital in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. She is working in the neuromuscular field, and she focuses on shoulder problems within children with neuromuscular disorders, within a multidisciplinary team. She is participating in the natural history study of infantile FSHD (iFocus) and is performing research on this topic.