Osteogenesis imperfecta and physical therapy: A review of recent trends during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disease affecting the bones. The main feature of the disease is bone fragility and low bone density. Between 6 and 7 in 100,000 people are affected by the disease. The clinical features are painful bones, bowlegs, short stature, enlarged head, bone fractures, hearing loss, and scoliosis. It is classified into four types: I to IV. Subgroups have been identified, whereby types V, VI, and VII are not associated with collagen mutation. Many patients experience deformities resulting in reduced mobility and difficulty to carry out daily activities. COVID-19 is defined as "a mild to severe respiratory illness that is caused by a coronavirus, is transmitted chiefly by contact with infectious material (such as respiratory droplets) or with objects or surfaces contaminated by the causative virus, and is characterized especially by fever, cough and shortness of breath and may progress to pneumonia and respiratory failure". During the lock down, OI patients suffer from reduced physical activity. Home exercise programmes/physical therapy and the number of clinical visits is also reduced. Rehabilitation sessions should include strengthening, developmental exercises, positioning, standing, and walking, whole-body vibration exercises, and aerobic exercise. Continuous physiotherapy is recognized as one of the essential conservative treatment options. A search was carried out of databases, including CINHAL, Embase, Cochrane, Pubmed, and Google Scholar. This was used to answer the following research questions: What is OI? How is it being treated? How did rehabilitation change during the COVID-19 pandemic? This is the first extensive review of research on the topic.