Dual Task Training With Vestibular Stimulation in Children With Diplegic Cerebral Palsy

University of Lahore

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Diplegic Cerebral Palsy

Treatments: Behavioral: Conventional Physical Therapy With Dual Task Training; Behavioral: Dual Task Training With Vestibular Stimulation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07157488

Anam Mujahid

Details and patient eligibility

About

Dual task training enhances gross motor function, reduce fatigue and minimize cognitive motor interference in children with diplegic cerebral palsy by promoting neuroplasticity and improving dual task processing. Vestibular stimulation improve balance triggering the vestibulospinal reflex, which play a key role in maintaining posture and reducing the risk of fall. Integrating dual task training with vestibular stimulation can provide a more holistic rehabilitation strategy by enhancing balance and posture stability through improved vestibular system activation, supporting motor and cognitive coordination by challenging the brain to handle tasks concurrently, and boosting functional mobility by mimicking everyday situations that require divided attention. This RCT evaluates its effectiveness in optimizing motor-cognitive integration, functional mobility and endurance compared to conventional motor training approaches.

Enrollment: 54 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 6 to 12 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

- Diagnosis of diplegic cerebral palsy (confirmed by physician/therapist).

Age between 6-12 years.

Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels II-III.

Ability to walk with or without assistive devices.

Stable medical condition for the past 6 months.

Parental/guardian consent to participate.

Exclusion criteria

• History of recent orthopedic surgery (within the past 6 months).

Botulinum toxin injections within the past 6 months.

Severe uncontrolled epilepsy or other uncontrolled medical conditions.

Severe cognitive impairment preventing ability to follow instructions.

Significant visual, auditory, or vestibular disorders unrelated to cerebral palsy.

Participation in another interventional clinical study within the last 3 months.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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54 participants in 2 patient groups

Conventional Physical Therapy With Dual Task Training

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants receive conventional physical therapy combined with dual task training. Warm-up (10 min): Trunk and lower extremity ROM exercises (Lee et al., 2021). Conventional PT (20 min): Wide leg squatting, hip flexion/extension, hip abduction/adduction, knee extension/flexion with ankle weights (Uysal et al., 2024). Dual Task Training (20 min): Balance activities (semi-tandem stance, tiptoe, heel stance, one-leg stance, line walking) combined with cognitive tasks (verbal fluency, simple math, memory recall, daily routine recall). Session Duration: 50 minutes, 3 times/week for 12 weeks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Dual Task Training With Vestibular Stimulation

Behavioral: Conventional Physical Therapy With Dual Task Training

Dual Task Training With Vestibular Stimulation

Experimental group

Description:

Participants receive dual task training combined with vestibular stimulation exercises. Warm-up (10 min): Trunk and lower extremity ROM exercises (Lee et al., 2021). Dual Task Training (20 min): Same protocol as Arm 1 (balance + cognitive tasks). Vestibular Stimulation (20 min): Sliding activity on physio roll (10 repetitions) and vertical bouncing while seated on physio roll for 10 minutes (Parashar et al., 2017). Session Duration: 50 minutes, 3 times/week for 12 weeks.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Dual Task Training With Vestibular Stimulation

Behavioral: Conventional Physical Therapy With Dual Task Training