[Results of the treatment of Duchenne de Boulogne myopathy by early physiotherapy. A comparative study with untreated subjects].

163 patients presenting with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) were treated with daily long-term physiotherapy in two specialized centers. This treatment was undertaken at a time when patients were still able to walk alone. II was continued in the centers up to an age when patients could no longer walk alone. As an average, the latter age was delayed from 3 to 4 years (according to the precocity of treatment) as compared with untreated patients. The comparisons between treated and untreated siblings established the significance of the results obtained. These results may be favourably compared with those obtained with other methods. The reduction of the progression of the disease at the level of the pelvic girdle mostly accounts for the gain.