ReAttach within Neurorehabilitation: A Case Report

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Physiotherapists pay more and more attention to improving sensory integration when treating people with a brain injury. It is also more common for physiotherapists to pay attention to cognitive rehabilitation and psychosocial factors. ReAttach is a short-term multimodal intervention combining: a) sensory integration, b) cognitive rehabilitation and c) systemic work. Recently ReAttach was introduced in the field of neuro-rehabilitation and therefore it is professionally applied by medics (physiotherapists, speech therapists and occupational therapists) and by neuropsychologists as well.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this case-study is to evaluate the effectivity of ReAttach in a patient with CVA by applying the intervention which includes stimulation of sensory integration and cognitive rehabilitation. Can this patient with CVA benefit from ReAttach?
METHOD: Five ReAttach sessions were applied to a patient with CVA in both hemispheres. Also his wife received five ReAttach sessions as part of the systemic approach. Pre- and post- measurements on functional skills, balance, fatigue and global condition were conducted to evaluate results. Follow up after 2 months.
RESULTS: The results of this case-study suggest that by simultaneously stimulating sensory integration, cognitive rehabilitation and influencing environmental factors (ReAttach) a significant positive change can be achieved in a patient with CVA.
CONCLUSION: Although this result is promising, more research is needed to further investigate the effectivity of ReAttach in larger controlled samples in neuro-rehabilitation. This case-study must be interpreted as a first positive impression.