The dropped head syndrome: rehabilitation of cervical focal myositis.
OBJECTIVE
This paper reports on a process of intensive physiotherapy used to treat severe dysfunction caused by dropped head syndrome, a rare clinicopathological entity, in which the sufferer is not able to hold the head upright, so that it falls forward and the chin lies permanently on the chest. This, in turn, causes severe impairment of the activities of daily life and of social intercourse.


RESULTS
The medical treatment of an 80 year-old woman with this syndrome was supplemented with a 6-month course (four times a week) of manual physiotherapy, and the combined success of the two approaches enabled her to resume management of her home and return to her social life.
Bahnof
R
R
bahnof@hadassah.org.il
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009220:Myositis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000187:drug effects; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013577:Syndrome
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D011241:Prednisone; D008775:Methylprednisolone