Does a 10-week physiotherapy programme, using interactive exercise equipment, improve balance and walking in children with cerebral palsy aged 4-18 years when compared to usual care?

A multi-centre feasibility randomised control trial of a physiotherapy programme using interactive exercise equipment to improve balance in ambulant children with cerebral palsy

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN80878394

Enrollment

Registered

2021-01-11

Start date

2021-01-25

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-05-25

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Ambulant children with cerebral palsy GMFCS I-III Nervous System Diseases Cerebral palsy

Interventions

The objective of the trial is to assess the feasibility of conducting an RCT evaluating the effect of interactive exercise equipment on balance and walking for children with cerebral palsy, the feasib

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

4 Years to 18 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Diagnosis of cerebral palsy Gross Motor Function Classification Scale (GMFCS) I-III 2. Aged 4-18 years 3. Leg weakness (=4/5 on the MRC muscle strength rating scale) in at least one muscle group 4. Leg hypertonia (=1 on the Tardieu scale fast stretch) in at least one muscle group 5. Ability to interact with a computer game using a mouse or joystick

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Selective dorsal rhizotomy or multi-level orthopaedic surgery within the last 12 months 2. Soft tissue surgery in lower limbs in the last 6 months 3. Anti-spasticity botulinum toxin injections within the previous 3 months 4. Training with the Happy Rehab™ in the last 4 months

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Balance measured by two potential primary outcome measures at 0, 10 and 20 weeks: 1. Next step test of dynamic balance, specifically the medio-lateral and antero-posteriori movement of the centre of mass and stepping error 2. Pediatric Balance Scale	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Walking kinematics measured using CODAmotion gait analysis at 0, 10 and 20 weeks 2. Muscle strength of quadriceps, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius and hip abductors measured using a handheld dynamometer (three measurements) at 0, 10 and 20 weeks 3. Passive range of movement and spasticity measured using the modified Tardieu scale of quadriceps, hamstrings, gastrocnemius and hip adductors using a goniometer (three measurements) at 0, 10 and 20 weeks 4. Participation measured using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) at 0, 10 and 20 weeks 5. Quality of life measured using CHU-9D at 0, 10 and 20 weeks	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Walking kinematics measured using CODAmotion gait analysis at 0, 10 and 20 weeks 2. Muscle strength of quadriceps, hamstrings, and gastrocnemius and hip abductors measured using a handheld dynamometer (three measurements) at 0, 10 and 20 weeks 3. Passive range of movement and spasticity measured using the modified Tardieu scale of quadriceps, hamstrings, gastrocnemius and hip adductors using a goniometer (three measurements) at 0, 10 and 20 weeks 4. Participation measured using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) at 0, 10 and 20 weeks 5. Quality of life measured using CHU-9D at 0, 10 and 20 weeks

—

Countries

England, United Kingdom

Contacts

Public ContactRachel Rapson

rachel.rapson@nhs.net+44 (0)7971246592

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: May 29, 2026