Women's health guidelines for the care of people with spina bifida.
Anne Berndl, Margaret Nosek, Ashley Waddington
PMID 33325413WHAT IT FOUND
Women with spina bifida should be referred to physical and occupational therapy early in pregnancy to plan mobility, self-management and baby care.
These are expert recommendations, not tested interventions.
Key findings
01The guideline recommends early referral to occupational therapy and physical therapy during pregnancy to discuss self-management and plans for after delivery and baby care.
02Where evidence was limited, the guideline recommendations were based on expert consensus.
03For severe back or leg pain during pregnancy, the guideline lists temporary wheelchair use, modified bedrest, massage and physical therapy as possible options.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
This is a guideline, not a study of patients, so it reports recommendations rather than measured outcomes. Many recommendations were based on expert consensus because the evidence was limited. The paper does not show that physical therapy, occupational therapy, wheelchair use, massage or bedrest improves pregnancy outcomes. It gives no participant counts, effect sizes or follow-up results.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these recommendations as proof that physical therapy, occupational therapy, wheelchair use or massage improves pregnancy outcomes. Many were based on expert consensus because evidence was limited.