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Apart from the possibilities to predict and eliminate the risk factors (especially in highly developed countries) the perinatal brachial plexus palsy (PBPP) still constitutes severe labor complications. PBPP treatment may be divided into conservative and operative categories. It is considered that the time necessary to regain functioning of brachial and ulnar articulations in children with BPPP (treated conservatively and surgically) amounts to 2 years approximately. Therefore, second late surgical technique of muscles and tendons of paralysed limb is performed in children at this age and older. It is accompanied by orthopaedic treatment and therapeutic rehabilitation, the aim of which is the improvement of its efficiency. The choice of proper treatment method (especially when chronic paralysis is observed) is conditioned by disorders of functioning in particular parts of a limb. Most frequently detected impairments resulting from BPPP which are treated surgically are disorders of shoulder functioning which occurs in 50% of plexus palsies. Ulnar dysfunctions constitute 15%, forearm dysfunctions amount to 15% and finally hand dysfunction is equal to 10%. Dysfunctioning of the upper limb constitutes 10%. Its reconstruction procedure is not necessary. The positive aspect of surgical reconstruction in patients with PBPP is not only improvement of paralysed limb functioning but also of patient's self-evaluation.

The problems related to injuries of the cervical spine with advances degenerative changes are discussed. The most frequent causes of these injuries were falls from height and traffic accidents. In the whole group of 185 patients most were aged over 50 years, and the lower part of the cervical spine was injured most frequently, with the extension mechanism being the usual force in the injury. Nearly half the cases (45%) had complete paralysis including the most severe form of partial injury.

The author described an apparatus for hand rehabilitation made by students from the Mechanical-Electrical Technical School for Workers in Bielsko-Biała. The apparatus is driven by an electric motor and it provides passive movements of paralytic hand with alternate flexion and extension of the wrist and fingers, and abduction and adduction of fingers in a special glove. The apparatus can be used in management of central and peripheral paralysis of the hand.

Gasometric determinations of pO2, pCO2 and pH were carried out in capillary blood obtained from the upper extremities before and after 10 minutes of kinesitherapy in 30 patients with hemiplegia following stroke. The determinations were done with an acid-base equilibrium analyser Radiometer Copenhagen pH M 71 MKZ. Ten minutes of kinesitherapy caused significant changes in the pH of the blood towards alkalinization, less pronounced in the paralytic extremities. However, differences in the determinations in paralytic and non-paralytic extremities were statistically not significant. These results confirm earlier observations of the authors and point out that 10 minutes of kinesitherapy seems to be the shortest times of exercise giving significant biochemical and clinical effect.

In the light of observation of 60 children aged from 4 months to 8 years followed for 4--6 years the author studied the stages of functional development of the paretic hand in hemiparesis in infantile cerebral palsy. It is concluded that the development of the functions of grasping and manipulation is retarded and disturbed in these patients. Rehabilitation treatment started in the 1st year or life provides best conditions for functional improvement.