Swiggum Mary, Grant Lisa
Wingate University, Wingate, North Carolina.
Pediatr Phys Ther. 2019 Oct;31(4):E1-E5. doi: 10.1097/PEP.0000000000000651.
Whole body vibration training is a viable option for children with Rett syndrome; however, the positioning requirements and intense vibration may be interpreted as pain.
A 13-year-old girl with a diagnosis of Rett syndrome, Stage IV, participated. The Individualized Numeric Rating Scale was developed in collaboration with the caregiver and scored by a physical therapist and student physical therapists during 16 sessions of whole body vibration training.
The therapist and students reached 100% agreement on the Individualized Numeric Rating Scale ratings and successfully provided distractions to prevent pain and distress from reaching a level 5 out of 10 for 139 of 144 sessions.
This is the first case in the literature to demonstrate use of the Individualized Numeric Rating Scale with a child who is nonverbal during a potentially painful physical therapy procedure.
