RESUMEN
A rehabilitation approach, consisting of initial handling and positioning followed by functional and formal strengthening exercises, was developed for the child with severe progressive osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). The program was developed because of the increased life expectancy for infants and children with severe progressive OI, combined with the lack of published reports dealing with their rehabilitation. The program can be followed easily by parents or therapists with regular monitoring by a psychiatrist. The goals are to improve the life span as well as the quality of life of these children by preventing the following: (1) positional contractures and deformities, (2) muscle weakness and osteoporosis, and (3) malalignment of the lower extremity joints prohibiting weight-bearing. Implementation of the program requires full cooperation of the parents. The initial results in four children between the ages of 3 and 11 years are encouraging. The benefits of increased strength and mobility leading to more age-appropriate activities and behaviors outweigh the only observed negative result, that is trauma-related lower extremity fractures in children with milder disease, and therefore greater mobility and higher activity levels.