Detailed Analysis of Spina Bifida: Treatment and Interventions

This assignment examines spina bifida, a birth defect characterized by incomplete closure of the spine and spinal cord during fetal development. It explores the causes, incidence rates, and various types of the disorder, including neural tube defects. The assignment details the symptoms, which can range from visible deformities to spinal cord issues detectable through imaging. It covers medical treatments, including prenatal interventions like blood tests and ultrasound, as well as surgical procedures. Occupational performance considerations are discussed, emphasizing the role of occupational therapy in helping children with spina bifida manage daily activities, develop skills, and engage socially. The assignment highlights common OT interventions such as correcting seating positions, enhancing hand-eye coordination, building upper body strength, and providing training for daily tasks. Precautions, contraindications, and the importance of folic acid for prevention are also included, along with links to additional resources and a list of relevant references.

Name: _______________________________________ Date: ______________________ Quarter:
_______
Disorder: _______________________________________
Description:
Include causes,
incidence, type of
disorder (e.g.
orthopedic, genetic,
etc.)
Spina bifida is a medical complication in children during birth. It is a type
of neural tube defect, which causes the spine and the spinal cord to not
form in the correct manner. The developing embryo has a structure of a
neural tube that gradually forms into the brain, spinal cord and the tissues
that surround the brain. The incidence of this disease is low because it is
found to be in 1 child in 1000 births. Even though neural defects occur
more as seen from the incidence rate of Canada, which is 0.9, 0.7 in central
France, 11.7 in South America and 7.7 in United Arab Emirates.
Symptoms/
Characteristics:
The symptoms of this disease is not easy to detect due to the non-
involvement of spinal cord. Signs on a newborn is visible such as a
deformity above the spinal cord, a tuft of hair in the affected area, and a
birthmark or a dimple. The detection of a spinal cord issue is visible from
the skin of the child and it can be confirmed with the help of spinal
ultrasound or MRI of the newborn child. In severe cases of spina bifida,
Myelomeningocele is diagnosed and it is a condition where the spinal canal
is open in the vertebrae of the middle or lower back (Copp et al., 2015).
Medical Treatment
& Considerations:
As it is a birth defect, certain measures have to be taken during pregnancy
for a safe delivery. Interventions to detect the condition can be done with
the help of blood tests such as maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP)
test and screening of the foetus that includes prenatal ultrasound known as
amniocentesis, which will help in confirming the diagnosis of spina bifida.
Treatment and medical considerations are the surgery procedures that is
done after detecting the presence of spina bifida. Surgery before birth and
considering cesarean birth because it ensures safety of the foetus
(Zamłyński et al., 2014).
Occupational
Performance
Considerations:
The occupational performance considerations could be the carrying out of
roles that can be utilized for self-management. The issue of spina bifida
can be managed with the help of occupational performance consideration
such as helping children with this condition for their daily activities that
includes making them move, make them use their hands, assisting them in
developing their thinking skills and sensory abilities, and guiding them to
learn about themselves and socially engaging with others.
OT INTERVENTIONS:
Describe common OT
interventions that
specifically address
the disorder
The common occupational therapy interventions for spina bifida is
correcting the seating position for support with help of wheelchairs,
enhancement of eye and hand coordination, building upper body strength,
assisting for daily activities such as washrooms, access to doorways, or
walking between different floors. Children should be given handling and
moving training and advice and the advantage of sensory programs (Tan,
Thomas & Johnston, 2017).
Precautions & This complication can be prevented with the help of folic acids of 400 mcg

Contraindications: everyday by a pregnant women. Consumption of B-vitamin folic acid can
reduce the chances of neural defect by 70% (Atta et al., 2016). The
contraindications of this disease is bladder incontinence, spastic or flaccid
paralysis, musculoskeletal dysfunction and trunk hypotonia.
Links:
Include at least 2 links
to explore for
additional information.
https://www.theotpractice.co.uk/how-we-help/conditions/spina-
bifida
https://www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/spina-bifida-role-
of-the-treating-team-occupational-therapy
References: Atta, C. A., Fiest, K. M., Frolkis, A. D., Jette, N., Pringsheim, T., St
Germaine-Smith, C., ... & Metcalfe, A. (2016). Global birth
prevalence of spina bifida by folic acid fortification status: a
systematic review and meta-analysis. American journal of public
health, 106(1), e24-e34.
Copp, A. J., Adzick, N. S., Chitty, L. S., Fletcher, J. M., Holmbeck, G. N.,
& Shaw, G. M. (2015). Spina bifida. Nature reviews Disease
primers, 1(1), 1-18.
Tan, J. L., Thomas, N. M., & Johnston, L. M. (2017). Reproducibility of
muscle strength testing for children with spina bifida. Physical &
occupational therapy in pediatrics, 37(4), 362-373.
Zamłyński, J., Olejek, A., Koszutski, T., Ziomek, G., Horzelska, E.,
Gajewska-Kucharek, A., ... & Bodzek, P. (2014). Comparison of
prenatal and postnatal treatments of spina bifida in Poland–a non-
randomized, single-center study. The Journal of Maternal-Fetal &
Neonatal Medicine, 27(14), 1409-1417.