In Reply.—We thank Dr Stine for her interest in our review. We fully agree with the spirit of her comments.
Our intention was by no means to deter physicians from prescribing physiotherapy to children with cerebral palsy. The main thrust of our plea was to suggest a more scientific investigation of a therapeutic procedure. The lack of proper evidence for the efficacy of physiotherapy is lately even more damaging.1 Such research becomes even more of immediate importance in view of the increasing economic constraints. Furthermore, such evidence will put us in a much better ethical position when recommending this treatment to our patients.
If, on the other hand, a proper study fails to provide such evidence, an enhanced exploration of other intervention techniques would result. Such interventions may be preventative or therapeutic (eg, electrical stimulation).
Our clinical experience is that physiotherapy provides more than meets the eye. Thus, a range