Therapeutic Potential of Myofascial Structural Integration in Children With Cerebral Palsy

Stanford University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Treatments: Other: Rolfing / Myofascial Structural Integration

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01815814

104644

16807

Details and patient eligibility

About

The investigators hypothesize that children with spastic cerebral palsy will show greater improvements in gross motor function, associated developmental skills and growth after the 3 months of myofascial structural integration treatment, a form of deep massage, than they showed after a 3- or 6-month pre-treatment waiting period.

The investigators further hypothesize that children with spastic CP will maintain their gains in gross motor function for ≥ 3 months after completion of MSI treatment.

Full description

• The investigators will talk to you by telephone to determine if your child is eligible for the study.
• The study lasts for a total of 12 months with the massage treatment period lasting 12 weeks.
• The study entails a total of 10 sessions of Myofascial Structural Integration therapy over the 12-week period. Each session will last one hour.
• The child will have an evaluation of motor functions and development on enrollment and at three-month intervals for a total of 5 evaluations.

Enrollment: 38 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 1 to 3 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Children from 1 up to, but not including, 7 years of age
• Children having the diagnosis of spastic cerebral palsy
• Children who have spasticity in one or both upper or lower limbs
• Children who are classified as either Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level 2, 3 or 4 or Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) level 2, 3, 4 or 5

Exclusion criteria

• Children with active seizure disorders
• Children taking more than one medication to control their seizures
• Children with severe health problems that could be exacerbated by the treatment (such as severe chronic lung disease)
• Children who have undergone surgical treatments or botulinum injections within 6 months of entering the study
• Children who have planned surgical interventions during the studies time course
• Children with sensory, cognitive or language deficits which would affect their ability to understand directions necessary for assessment.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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38 participants in 2 patient groups

Rolfing After 3-Month Wait

Experimental group

Description:

The children in this arm receive the therapy (rolfing / myofascial structural integration) 3 months after they start the study.

Treatment:

Other: Rolfing / Myofascial Structural Integration

Rolfing After 6-Month Wait

Other group

Description:

The children in this arm receive the therapy (rolfing / myofascial structural integration) 6 months after they start the study.

Treatment:

Other: Rolfing / Myofascial Structural Integration