Loaded Gait Training on Gross Motor Function in Cerebral Palsy

Cairo University (CU)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Cerebral Palsy

Treatments: Other: Conventional physical therapy program; Other: Loaded gait training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06339099

P.T.REC/012/002489

Details and patient eligibility

About

A randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the additional effect loaded gait training to conventional physical therapy program on gross motor function and the knee extensors strength in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy. Children were divided randomly into two equal groups. The control group received a conventional physical therapy program, while the intervention group received the same program plus loaded gait training. Gross motor functions and knee extensor strength were measured.

Full description

A randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the additional effect loaded gait training to conventional physical therapy program on gross motor function and the knee extensors strength in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP).

52 children with bilateral spastic CP, aged 5 to 7 years, were divided randomly into two equal groups. The control group received a conventional physical therapy program, while the intervention group received the same program plus loaded gait training 3 times per week for an hour for 3 months.

Gross motor functions were measured by the Gross Motor Function Measure Scale-88 (GMFM-88); standing and walking domains, while knee extensor strength was measured by a hand-held dynamometer.

Enrollment: 52 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 5 to 7 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age: five to seven years old, classified as levels II and III on the GMFCS.
• Spasticity grade from 1+ to 2 based on the Modified Ashworth scale.
• Able to understand and follow verbal commands and instructions (with a score above 80 on the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale).

Exclusion criteria

• Genetic or metabolic disorders.
• Brain tumours.
• Musculoskeletal dysfunction that would interfere with our intervention (e.g. tightness of the posterior knee joint capsule that causes passive knee extension lag, or fixed contracture of the knee joint).
• Surgical intervention in the lower limbs within the preceding 12 months.
• Botulinum toxin injections in lower limb muscles within the last six months.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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52 participants in 2 patient groups

control arm

Experimental group

Description:

The control group (n=26) received a conventional physical therapy program.

Treatment:

Other: Conventional physical therapy program

Intervention arm

Active Comparator group

Description:

The intervention group (n=26) received conventional physical therapy program and loaded gait training.

Treatment:

Other: Loaded gait training

Other: Conventional physical therapy program