Facilitation In The Bobath Case Study

Facilitation in the Bobath concept is the use of afferent information to effect improvements in motor performance.1 This method for neurorehabilitation emphasizes tapping into the sensory system to enable successful motor movement and task performance. It is very important to be specific with the facilitation given. Before giving facilitation, the therapist must assess what kind of facilitation is best suited for the task to be performed. Facilitation should absolutely not be contraindicated for the task and aspects such as the timing, modality, intensity, and withdrawal of facilitation should be considered. Since the inception of the Bobath concept, the use of facilitation during intervention has been a key feature.1 Facilitation encourages the patient to problem solve during the task and be a part …show more content…
This concept aligns with the biopsychosocial model, which considers all aspects of the human being in the treatment of dysfunction. Facilitation is all about the patient experiencing success in a motor task that they were not able to complete prior with the specific manipulation of afferent inputs such as somatosensation, vision, vestibular, and auditory done by the therapist. An example of facilitation is activating the hip extensors and abductors to control pelvic tilt for the preparation of walking. Facilitation can include techniques such as stroking, tapping, vibration, cryotherapy, and mirror therapy.2 Joint compression can be used to facilitate the extensor muscles, which can be useful in bed mobility activities such as supine to sit. Another neuromuscular facilitation technique is PNF, which relies on quick stretching and manual resistance of muscle activation of the limbs in a functional direction.2 Other more recent types of facilitation used in neurorehab include virtual reality, EMG biofeedback, and robotic