A Physical Therapy Program Targeting Lower Extremity Selective Motor Control in Children With Spastic Cerebral Palsy

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Treatments: Other: Knee joint strengthening at high velocities; Other: Functional activities based on child and parental goals; Other: Ankle controlled gaming; Other: Selective movement of individual lower limb joints; Other: Sensori-motor exercises

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07310550

14-0414

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this intervention study is to learn whether a physical therapy exercise camp called will improve leg movement (motor control) and functional ability in children with spastic CP who are between 5 and 18 years. The main questions the study aims to answer are:

• Does the ability to move the knee at high velocities improve?
• Does function such as walking, running, hopping, climbing stairs improve?
• Will the brain tracts that control movement change?
• Will children who have better independent control of joint motion improve more?

All participants will:

• Attend 15 sessions of an exercise camp for 3 hours per day
• Perform a home exercise program after the camp ends

Measurements:

• Lower extremity selective motor control
• Knee muscle strength at high speeds using an exercise machine
• Gross motor function
• Gait analysis (walking patterns)
• Parent's perception of their child's ability and their satisfaction with that ability
• Change in brain motor tracts using a scanner (MRI) for participants that meet the inclusion criteria for MRI

MRI measurements will be taken twice (before and immediately after the treatment). All other measurements and will be taken 3 times (before, immediately after the treatment and approximately 4 months after the treatment).

Enrollment: 23 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 5 to 18 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• spastic cerebral palsy
• age between 5-18 years
• ability to walk at least 10 meters
• ability to follow simple verbal directions

Exclusion criteria

All participants

• botulinum toxin or serial casting within the preceding 3 months
• recent orthopedic or neurological surgery within the preceding 12 months
• uncontrolled seizures

For participants undergoing MRI

• inability to lie still
• incompatible metal implants
• baclofen pumps or shunts

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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23 participants in 1 patient group

Participants who have the intervention

Experimental group

Description:

physical therapy exercise intervention

Treatment:

Other: Sensori-motor exercises

Other: Ankle controlled gaming

Other: Selective movement of individual lower limb joints

Other: Functional activities based on child and parental goals

Other: Knee joint strengthening at high velocities