Effects of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Fascilitation on the Shoulder Range of Motion, Arm Circumference and Functional Performance among Children with Erb’s Palsy

Abstract

Background: Children with Erb’s palsy may experience persistent shoulder dysfunction, while the comparative benefits of rehabilitation approaches remain uncertain. Objective: To compare conventional physical therapy and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) for shoulder range of motion, arm circumference, and functional performance. Methods: This quasi-experimental study used convenience sampling at Children Hospital, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Analyses included 41 children receiving conventional physical therapy (n = 20) or PNF (n = 21). Assessments occurred at baseline and six weeks using goniometry, circumference measurement, modified Mallet categories, and the Pediatric Arm Function Test. Exploratory comparisons used Welch’s t-tests for baseline continuous measures and Fisher’s exact tests with confidence intervals for categorical outcomes. Results: For each of three functional tasks, the most favorable observed category was attained by 50.0% of the conventional-therapy group and 66.7% of the PNF group, a difference of 16.7 percentage points (95% CI −12.6 to 42.4; p = 0.350). Category increases occurred in 80.0% and 95.2%, respectively (difference 15.2 percentage points; 95% CI −6.3 to 37.2; p = 0.184). Conflicting continuous-outcome summaries prevented reliable comparative interpretation. Conclusion: Favorable categorical functional changes occurred in both groups, but PNF superiority was not established.