Effects of Flywheel Exercise on Muscle and Walking Function in Teenagers and Young Adults With Cerebral Palsy (CP-Flywheel)

Karolinska Institute

Status: Withdrawn

Conditions: Cerebral Palsy

Treatments: Other: Flywheel resistance exercise; Other: Weight-stack resistance exercise

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03124628

Flywheel CP

16037

Details and patient eligibility

About

The main purpose of this project is to improve physical function and muscle health in teenagers and young adults with cerebral palsy (CP) by using an eccentric-overload resistance exercise model

Specific aims

1. To compare the efficacy of eccentric-overload vs. weight stack resistance exercise in inducing muscle, functional and gait performance adaptations in teenagers with CP.
2. To increase force, power and muscle mass in the lower limbs of patients with cerebral palsy.
3. To improve gross motor function, balance and gait through eccentric-overload resistance exercise in teenagers suffering from cerebral palsy.

We hypothesize that the time-effective flywheel resistance exercise paradigm will result in greater gains in muscle mass and function in teenagers with CP, when compared with conventional weight-stack technology. Importantly, we believe these adaptations will be translated into enhanced gross motor function, balance and gait performance.

Forty teenagers and young adults (age range 16-23 yr) with spastic CP will be recruited. They will be randomly assigned to flywheel (FL; n=20) or weight-stack (WS; n=20) resistance exercise. During 8 weeks, all the teenagers will follow a standard resistance exercise training program within the Stockholm Habilitation Center system. In addition, patients will perform either flywheel (FL group) or conventional (WS group) leg press resistance exercise twice per week. Muscle force, power and activity (electromyography; EMG), leg extension lag, co-contraction, balance, functional mobility, gait quality, and muscle and fat thickness of lower extremities are assessed in all patients before and after the 8-week intervention (Fig. 1).

Sex: All

Ages: 16 to 25 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Teenagers and young adults between 16-25 years of age
• Unilateral or bilateral spastic cerebral palsy
• Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) of level I, II or III.

Exclusion Criteria

• Surgical treatments of the knee extensor apparatus within the last 12 months
• Botulinum toxin treatment within the last six months
• Ongoing intrathecal baclofen treatment

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

---

0 participants in 2 patient groups

Flywheel resistance exercise

Experimental group

Description:

During 8 weeks, all the subjects will follow a standard resistance exercise training program within the Stockholm Habilitation Center system. In addition, patients in this arm will perform flywheel leg press resistance exercise twice per week.

Treatment:

Other: Flywheel resistance exercise

Weight-stack resistance exercise

Active Comparator group

Description:

During 8 weeks, all the subjects will follow a standard resistance exercise training program within the Stockholm Habilitation Center system. In addition, patients in this arm will perform conventional, weight-stack leg press resistance exercise twice per week.

Treatment:

Other: Weight-stack resistance exercise