Vojta therapy for babies - exercises for the head, legs and climbing support + video
Parents whose children have complications with delayed motor development, low muscle tension (tone), lack of coordination, problems with the locomotor system or a central nervous system disorder are most likely to have heard about Vojta method from a doctor. It is a special method that is used as a form of therapy for children as well as adults. Vojta therapy exercises are used by private physiotherapists and professional rehabilitation centers. In newborns or prematurely born children, it is also used as a prevention, which in certain cases prevents difficulties in the area of movement and coordination. What exercises does Vojta therapy contain? How to exercise with a baby using the Vojta method?
Author:Victoria Clark
Updated: 06.12.2023
Vojta method for babies is a very well-known therapeutic procedure in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but today also widely abroad. This is a proven way of exercising with children, but it can also be used with adult patients. Thanks to precisely determined positions and movements, the movement of the whole body is naturally stimulated, while the nervous system is activated. Thanks to Vojta therapy, exercises gradually eliminate restrictions, stimulate the nervous system and, thanks to this, the musculoskeletal system. In connection with babies, it is mainly used in children, where there is an observable lack of coordination, non-optimal muscle tone is manifested and limits appear in the baby's movement. It is often prescribed as a prevention for prematurely born children. Does Vojta method have unwanted effects? Can I practice these exercises with my child at home? Is it necessary to take a course on Vojta therapy?
What is Vojta method?
The definition of Vojta therapy can be interpreted in several ways. To understand it, however, it is best to know the essence of the development of this method, the author of which is the Czech doctor and professor Václav Vojta, who specialized in child neurology. Another name for Vojta method is the method of reflex locomotion. It is carried out with the help of special exercises, for the successful implementation of which knowledge of the human nervous system is essential.
Subsequently, with the help of appropriate pressure in a specific position and movement, it is crucial to stimulate certain zones, which, thanks to the nervous system, send these stimuli to the brain and trigger a movement pattern. Motor skills are genetically coded in the human brain, and all these movements, with which the given individual has a problem, are thus activated with the gradual development of the nervous system. With the controlled exercises of the Vojta method, a reflex model is created, muscle chains are built, which eliminate errors, deficiencies or limitations within the motor system - movement apparatus. It has been used in practice for more than 50 years, while it has proven itself in a large number of cases and has become known all over the world. It is carried out not only in babies, but even in adults.
The aim of developing Vojta therapy is also to find out in an effective way during the therapy what problems the baby has in relation to motor skills, muscle tone or locomotor apparatus. Vojta method does not contain exclusively exercises to support climbing, as many parents believe. Within the reflex locomotion method, it is a set of three main exercises that focus on the complex movement of the individual and not on local limitation. A single exercise engages the whole body, because the motor connections are interconnected. Therefore, it is important to activate all sub-models and ensure that genetically programmed movement patterns are stimulated and triggered.
Prof. MUDr. Václav Vojta lived part of his life in Germany. In Cologne, he worked as a researcher at an orthopedic clinic. He later worked as a doctor in a children's center in Munich. In 1998, the International Vojta Company was founded in Munich, which implements Vojta Method courses all over the world - Norway, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, or even Japan and India. His method has proven itself on a global level and has been used by private physiotherapists or in rehabilitation centers.
For whom Vojta method is intended - indications
The indications that allow the application of this method of exercises in children's age are different. However, there must always be an obvious reason for their implementation. Most often, these are children's patients. Vojta therapy can be practiced from birth if there is a reason for it. A typical example is precisely premature children, for whom these exercises are used as optimal therapy and prevention, because there is an assumption that motor skills are less developed due to insufficient development already in the womb. Various motor disorders, coordination or cases of asymmetry can therefore arise.
Frequent patients are babies, in whom the doctor (note: neurologist) determines, based on the diagnosis, that they have a certain coordination disorder, reduced or increased muscle tone, motor development is delayed, deviations in the child's movement behavior appear, the neck muscles are shortened, the child has deviations when moving with the header and much more. These are often neurological disorders. Here are some indications in which it is recommended to consider the use of Vojta therapy.
- Cerebral palsy,
- premature children (note that there is an assumption that the motor model may lag behind in the process of brain maturation),
- disorders of the nervous system, neurological diseases,
- asymmetric head posture, asymmetry of the position of the legs or hands,
- spina bifida,
- scoliosis,
- muscle diseases,
- torticollis in childhood (note: this is a unilateral head injury associated with asymmetric tension, in which muscle shortening occurs due to incorrect long-term fixation, which reduces the mobility of the head in bowing and rotation),
- motor disorders of the child,
- child's coordination disorders,
- congenital limb deformities,
- mild brain dysfunction,
- conditions after injuries.
Professional physiotherapists do not recommend Vojta therapy if the development of the locomotor apparatus and motor skills is in order. Vojta method as prevention is therefore not intended for children in whom no errors or deficiencies are observed during development. The use of Vojta method should be indicated by the recommendation of a doctor - expert. A physiotherapist cannot indicate any therapy without a doctor's recommendation. Apart from Vojta therapy, other physiotherapy concepts can also be used.
Vojt's method is also suitable for abdominal diastasis in children. Thanks to this physiotherapeutic method, the oblique abdominal muscles and the central nervous system are appropriately activated. At the same time, the movement activates the reflex model in the muscles and thus strengthens the abdominal wall.
Vojta method - exercises for the head and the whole body
Vojta therapy includes three primary exercises, or we can talk about the principles of movement, position and appropriate pressure on the zones that activate the child's nervous system. The first is reflex turning - the central nervous system is activated from the supine position. Reflex crawling uses the opposite principle. The nervous system is activated when lying on the stomach. Of course, the position and adequate pressure on specific points are important in order to activate the movement model that is necessary for the given movement. The third movement is the so-called first position, which is a position on all fours.
These very phases of the movement must follow, because although these are very simple movements, the most important muscle fibers are involved. Pressure on the fascia (ligamentous tissue) and periosteum (ligamentous covering) creates a natural innate movement reaction, which is genetically rooted in humans. The frequency of exercise is individual, but small children are exercised approximately 4 times a day. One exercise lasts 5 to 20 minutes. For older children, the exercise time is extended. If the problem is diagnosed, it is ideal to start exercising as soon as possible. This therapy can be started already in newborns. The total duration of therapy is individual depending on the indication, it can range from several weeks, months to years.
These exercises are often very effective even in cases where children have problems with breathing or swallowing. During the stimulation of the designated points, there are unconscious - spontaneous movements of the abdominal muscles and diaphragm, while breathing is also adjusted. This helps with better mental activity, but also helps with a stable heart rate during physical exertion. The effectiveness of Vojta method lies in the fact that it combines physiological movements - positions, breathing exercises, but also stimulates the nervous system. Thanks to this, this set of exercises ensures a comprehensive involvement of the entire musculoskeletal system.
Crying and Vojta therapy
The therapy itself, exercises and movements do not cause pain to the child. Although children's crying during exercise, especially during the first series of exercises, is a typical symptom, it is not directly related to performing the exercises. Moms definitely don't have to worry that Vojta exercise method would be painful. This is very unusual treatment for a baby during exercise. The child has to stand in an unusual position, and this does not seem comfortable to him. Movements and positions are atypical. However, even heartbreaking crying does not mean that the child is traumatized by the exercise. When exercising with children, such motor models are often activated that they are not yet using at a given age, but will be in a few months. After becoming familiar with the movements and repeated practice, the crying disappears.
Exercising with the Vojta method as prevention
Frequent patients in whom Vojta method is used preventively are premature babies. The nervous system and motor pattern may lag behind the development of the brain and deficits in coordination, momentum or motor skills may therefore appear. Vojta therapy can be a suitable supportive treatment for various deformities.
Preventive exercise in strong cases determined by a doctor, neurologist, orthopedist and rehabilitation doctor can favorably support the child's further development. It has been proven that Vojta method can have a positive effect on the growth process in teenage children - adolescents. It is also used in adults. Most often after injuries or strokes. Exercising for no reason without indications for the given physiotherapy procedure has no meaning.
Vojta method for babies - experience
The experiences of mothers with the Vojta method are very positive. In discussions, several mothers praise the procedures of professional physiotherapists, for example, in solving diastasis using the Vojta therapy in children or, for example, in the case of deformity of fingers or feet. Several mothers say that after instructions from a physiotherapist, they also performed exercises at home. They make sure that it has to be exercised correctly. Vojta therapy and unwanted effects? Mothers had to get used to heartbreaking crying, which is very natural due to the execution of the exercises. However, the exercise is painless. Many parents praise that their motor skills have improved, as well as the flexibility of their limbs and joints. One of the mothers states that Vojta method helped the head and neck mobility. There are also mothers who think this method is not economical. Therefore, they applied, for example, exercises according to Bobath.
The most frequent questions - FAQ
Have you heard about the Vojta method, the author of which is the Czech professor and doctor Václav Vojta, who specializes in child neurology? Vojta method represents a unique method of therapy for the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, which includes specially designed movements - exercises for activating genetically programmed movements in a person. Do you have experience as a parent with the Vojta therapy? We will be happy if you contribute to the discussion under the article with your opinions, observations and experiences related to the given issue.
Can I practice Vojta method exercises at home as well?
Who offers and performs Vojta method?
Does Vojta method help with diastasis in children?
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