Treatment of severe gluteal muscle contracture in children.

To investigate the efficacy of a combination therapy on gluteal muscle contracture, 286 definitely diagnosed patients were subjected to surgical treatment, and then functional exercises and physical therapy. The patients with severe symptoms were asked to have a set of specially-designed functional exercises. All the patients were followed up for 3 to 24 months by hospital visit, correspondence or telephone interview. The effective rate was 100%, and the curative rate was up to 94.6%. Few patients developed complications and relapse was rare. It is concluded that the combination therapy, including surgical removal of diseased tissues, functional exercises and physical therapy, is an effective approach for the treatment of severe juvenile gluteal muscle contracture.