Log in
Register
Klapp’s crawling was developed in Germany in the beginning of the 20 century as a method for treating idiopathic scoliosis. This concept was created by orthopedist Bernhard Klapp and soon after if was developed by his son Rudolf Klapp. Rudolf Klapp as a surgeon started to be interested in spine and its curvature. He noticed that during crawling on all fours, at a certain moment the spine gets exposed to a mobilizing, exercising and corrective influence. He treated many patients with scoliosis relatively successfully. In 1926 he established clinic for children with weakened abdominal muscles. Children could move around the house only on all fours. This method caused a stir in public. The therapy of the idiopathic scoliosis with help of complexive exercise on all fours became not only the most used therapy in Germany for treating scoliosis. but also as a prevention of wrong body posture by children in the school age.
Klapp brought to knowledge the facts that the spine is securing the static and dynamic function, and at the same time creates a secured protection for the nerves and blood vessels. Doctor Klapp realized that wrong posture leads to fast muscle dysbalance, between the back muscles and abdominal muscles, which negatively affects the spine position.
Klapp divided the back problematics into 8 general categories:
- Inborn scoliosis (often connected with “spina bifida”, inborn wrong leg joint position, dislocation of the hip - sprain, chest anomali)
- Scoliosis as result of disease (tuberculosis, osteomyelitis, rickets…)
- Static scoliosis (different length of the legs, amputation)
- General scoliosis (from school, wrong body posture)
- Scoliosis after paralysis
- Post traumatic scoliosis (burn…)
- Antalgic scoliosis (scoliosis caused by pain)
- Idiopathic scoliosis (over 90%)
KLAPP’S CRAWLING
It is a unique method, which is using for correction of the wrong body posture crawling on all fours exercise. Thanks to crawling, the spine is not under such big pressure as it is in standing position, and it optimizes the development of the back muscles.
The principle is in spreading your weight on the four supporting points while crawling. Thanks to this there is a rotation in the spine movement and simultaneous stretch - these basic principles lead to functional strengthening of the “muscle corset”. The exercise has a clear rules. The movement has to always start in exact default position, locomotion has to be slow, smooth, along with your limbs pressing against the ground and keeping your spine straight. Thanks to Klapp’s crawling you can optimize the posture of your spine and exercise the muscle corset of the spine
Even though idiopathic scoliosis has not been cured by the Klapp’s method, but it hasn’t been cured by any other therapeutic concept. However the elements from Klapp’s crawling are very effective for optimizing the muscles tension in the trunk area, therefore it is abundantly used in various modifications in therapy for treating scoliosis and disorders of body posture.
INDICATIONS
- Scoliosis
- Wrong body posture
- Functional disorders of the musculoskeletal system
- Strengthening the muscle “corset”
- Various muscles disbalance
Author: Mgr. Iva Bílkova, FYZIOklinika physiotherapy Ltd., Prague, Czech Republic
Source: Internet: physio.de, alister.org, fyzioterapie.cz, fialkacentrum.cz
