Reflex locomotion method according to Vaclav Vojta – created by the Czech neurologist Vaclav Vojta. Originally a concept for the rehabilitation of adolescents with MPD (cerebral palsy), over time it has found favour mainly in the treatment of infants and children. In recent years, it has been increasingly applied to the rehabilitation of adults. The main premise of the method is the existence of innate coordination complexes, the same in every human being. In various disorders – both neurological and other – both congenital and acquired, components of these complexes, and sometimes even entire complexes, can be disrupted, manifesting as missing or pathological movement patterns.
The Vojta method is used, among others, in the rehabilitation and treatment of central nervous system disorders, cerebral palsy, meningo-spinal and cerebrospinal hernias, peripheral nerve and plexus palsy, muscular dystrophy
The aim of the therapy carried out with the Vojta method is to reduce abnormal motor reactions and to find and release correct coordination complexes. To this end, the patient is placed in specific positions and, by applying pressure to the so-called zones, attempts to trigger the correct locomotor patterns. The resulting reactions are global (involving the whole body) and independent of the patient’s will. The reactions involve both the motor and vegetative systems.
The indications for Vojta therapy are very broad and include conditions such as:
- cerebral palsy
- spinal cord injuries
- cranio-brain injuries
- strokes
but also other neurological and orthopaedic conditions and any condition manifesting itself in its clinical picture with an altered movement pattern.
