2022 Volume 39 Issue 2 Pages 89-93
We provided physical therapy (PT) for a pregnant patient with severe functional disability due to a relapse of aquaporin–4–positive neuromyelitis optica. The patient was predicted to be at a high risk for miscarriage due to the pregnancy and disease. We report the results of PT in this patient, taking into consideration the load on the mother and fetus. To reduce the exercise load on the mother and fetus, we set criteria for pausing and terminating exercise, and then conducted the PT. At the beginning of PT, we tried to prevent disuse syndrome on the bed because we expected a large risk to the mother and fetus with exercise. Gait training was started from the stage of transition to the middle pregnancy, and the exercise load and duration were gradually increased. As a result, the spastic paraplegia and sensory impairment in her legs improved. On the 75th day of hospitalization, she was able to walk with a cane and was discharged home. There were no adverse maternal or fetal events during the PT period, and the pregnancy progressed uneventfully. Improvement in function was achieved with PT, while adjusting the exercise load on the mother and fetus.
