Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy
Conditions
Keywords
Sensory Walkway, Spastic Diplegic, Cerebral Palsy, Gait Parameters
Brief summary
This study aims to evaluate the effect of sensory walkway training on gait performance in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Participants will be assigned to a control group receiving conventional physical therapy or an intervention group receiving conventional therapy combined with sensory walkway training. The intervention will be conducted over a defined treatment period.
Detailed description
This study will be conducted after approval from the Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, and will follow the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent will be obtained from the parents of all participating children. The intervention involves the use of a structured sensory walkway composed of eight wooden foot boxes filled with different textured materials, including polyester fiberfill, cut plastic straws, foam beads, and kinetic sand. This setup is designed to provide continuous multimodal tactile stimulation during gait training to enhance sensory-motor integration, postural control, and gait performance. Children in the intervention group will perform reciprocal gait training while interacting with the sensory surfaces, accompanied by verbal feedback to facilitate sensory awareness and motor engagement. Both groups will receive a traditional physical therapy program including stretching exercises, quadruped and kneeling activities, balance training, stepper exercises, and gait training on various surfaces and equipment. Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation), and statistical analysis will be performed using IBM SPSS software.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALConventional Physical Therapy Program
Participants in the control group will receive a conventional physical therapy program including stretching exercises for lower limb muscles, strengthening exercises, balance training, and gait training. The program includes quadruped exercises, kneeling and half-kneeling positions, standing balance exercises using balance boards and beams, stepping exercises, and walking training using parallel bars and assistive devices. Each session lasts 60 minutes and will be conducted three times per week for three consecutive months.
BEHAVIORALSensory Walkway Training
Participants in the study group will receive conventional physical therapy in addition to gait training on a sensory walkway. The sensory walkway consists of a sequence of wooden foot boxes filled with different textured materials to provide tactile stimulation of the feet during walking. Corresponding hand sensory boxes are placed along parallel bars to provide simultaneous upper limb sensory input. This setup enables reciprocal sensory stimulation of upper and lower limbs during gait training. Children will walk through the walkway in a controlled manner while immersing their feet and hands in the textured materials and are encouraged to identify and describe the textures to enhance sensory awareness. The intervention aims to improve sensory-motor integration, postural control, balance, and gait parameters in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Each session lasts 60 minutes and is performed three times per week for three months.
Sponsors
Cairo University
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Participants will be assigned into two parallel groups: a control group receiving a conventional physical therapy program and a study group receiving the same program in addition to sensory walkway training.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
5 Years to 7 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Clinical diagnosis of spastic diplegic cerebral palsy * Aged between 5 and 7 years * Classified at level II on the Gross Motor Function Classification System * Spasticity grade 1 or 1+ according to the Modified Ashworth Scale * Able to walk independently or with an assistive device without physical assistance * Able to follow verbal commands * Abnormal gait pattern
Exclusion criteria
* Visual or auditory impairment * History of lower limb surgery within the past 2 years * Use of medications affecting muscle tone and/or cognitive function * Contractures or fixed deformities in upper or lower limbs
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Gait Speed | 3 months | Gait speed (m/s) will be assessed using the 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT). Participants will walk a 10-meter distance at a self-selected comfortable walking speed. Time recorded during the test will be used only to calculate gait speed. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Step Width | 3 months | Step width (cm) will be assessed using Kinovea software based on video recordings. |
| Cadence | 3 months | Cadence (steps/min) will be calculated using gait cycle analysis from Kinovea software |
| Step Time | 3 months | Step time (seconds) will be analyzed using Kinovea software based on video-based gait cycle timing. |
Countries
Egypt
Contacts
CONTACTShaymaa Rushdy Mahmoud, lecturer
Outcome results
None listed