Effects of rocking on neuromuscular development in the premature

It has been postulated that motion stimulation accelerates postnatal development. To test this hypothesis, 26 premature infants participated in a randomized controlled study of the effects of rocking on body weight gain and measures of neuromuscular development. Treatment infants were exposed to 15-min sessions of sinusoidal oscillation about the longitudinal axis, three times a day for 2 weeks. Infants were evaluated at the beginning and end of the 2-week treatment period and 2 weeks later. Neuromuscular development at these three times was measured with the comprehensive Dubowitz examination. Following treatment, large as compared with small premature infants showed a marked, but not statistically significant increase in weight gain. Duration of treatment appears to be a critical factor in influencing weight gain. All infants exposed to motion stimulation showed significant gains over controls in overall neuromuscular development. Passive muscle tone (posture, arm recoil and popliteal angle) and active motility (arm traction, head lag and ventral suspension) showed significant improvement in the treatment group at posttest. Similar results were recorded with auditory and visual orientation, alertness and defensive reaction. These specific areas of behavior have been recognized to be delayed in premature infants not exposed to a program of sensory stimulation.