The desired effects of this treatment would be the following:
1) Overall results:
- increase and improvement of movements; elimination or decrease of local rigidity; improvement of blood supply; recovery of the vitality and decrease of the degenerative process of dystrophy in soft tissue; elimination or decrease of the symptom of pain (if present), thereby breaking the “vicious cycle of pain-contracture-pain”.
2) Functional results:
- improvement of the functions of the hands, arms, legs and other structures of the locomotor apparatus. Improvement of body balance, of seated control, of vertical control and of walking. Increase of the muscle mass and strengthening of the muscles. Bones and other soft tissue structures are allowed to grow. Improvement of chewing, speech and swallowing, thereby eliminating contractures of the temporal muscles, masseter muscles and others (in the face). Decrease of spasticity and notable improvement of emotional and psychic balance. The possibility of forming new connections in the central nervous system, and the possibility that the patient can learn new movements and functions and can evolve under the improved conditions.
The technique of this operation is practiced under general anaesthesia and lasts approximately 30 minutes.
Operation process:
The scalpel is introduced in a zone where the pathological fibre (retracted fibre) is located, and a transversal section is made under palpation control. The operated zone is disinfected, and sterile gauze dressings are applied for 24 hours.
Postoperative pain is not usually very acute. Hematomas sometimes appear in some operated zones.
The optimum period for staying at a clinic is 24 hours, after which the dressings are removed and the patient can go home. The scarring processing (of the operated areas, meaning recovery of the operated cutaneous routes) takes 8 to 10 days, just like any operation, and it is a good idea for the patient to be under the care of a family member, who will be given the necessary guidelines in each specific case.
For patients who already walk, they will need 2 to 3 weeks in order to stand again, given that the muscle structures of the working lower extremities take on a considerable load, and they require a period of postoperative recovery and adaptation to the new, more comfortable postures obtained through the operation performed.
The next operation will take place 6 months after the first one, if necessary.
In one phase of this operation, the most important pathological fibres are eliminated in one or two segments of the locomotor apparatus (for example, in the legs or in the arms), and in the following phases, operations can be performed on other segments that may be affected.