Child Behavior
Conditions
Brief summary
Determine the effect of repeated pelvis perturbation training on trunk posture and locomotor function in children with CP.
Detailed description
We will determine whether repeat exposure to pelvis perturbation during sitting astride will induce functional improvements in trunk postural control and locomotion in children with CP.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALrobotic hippotherapy
A custom designed cable-driven robotic system that mimics horseback movement during walking was used in this study.
BEHAVIORALConventional physical therapy
Stretching of trunk and leg muscles, followed by sitting and standing balance training, and conventional treadmill walking.
Sponsors
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Intervention model description
Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
4 Years to 12 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Children with a diagnosis of bilateral spastic CP attributed to complications of prematurity, intracranial hemorrhage and periventricular leukmalacia according to the definition of Bax. * Children aged 4 to 12 years old without Botulinum toxin treatment within 6 months, and without surgeries (such as selective dorsal rhizotomy) within 12 months before the onset of the training. * Subjects will be able to remain seated without help for ≥10s. * GMFCS levels will be I to IV. * Children must be able to signal pain, fear or discomfort reliably. * Children with mild scoliosis (Cobb angle \< 20 °). * Children with CP who have no prior hippotherapy experiences within 6 months.
Exclusion criteria
* severe lower extremity contractures, fractures, osseous instabilities, osteoporosis. * severe disproportional bone growth. * unhealed skin lesions in the lower extremities. * thromboembolic diseases, cardiovascular instability. * aggressive or self-harming behaviors.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Trunk Control Measurement Scale (TCMS) score from baseline. | baseline, post 6 weeks of training and 8 weeks after the end of training. | The maximum value for the total TCMS is 58 points (no unit). Specifically, there is 20 points for the category 'static sitting balance', 28 points for 'selective movement control', and 10 points for 'dynamic reaching'). A higher TCMS scores indicates a better motor performance in trunk control. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Chang in 6-minute walking distance from baseline | baseline, post 6 weeks of training and 8 weeks after the end of training. | Walking distance within 6 minutes |
| Change in GMFM-66 | baseline, post 6 weeks of training and 8 weeks after the end of training. | Gross Motor Function Measure |
| Change in Walking speed from baseline | baseline, post 6 weeks of training and 8 weeks after the end of training. | Overground walking speed |
Countries
United States
Contacts
Primary ContactMing Wu
Outcome results
None listed