Power Training Combined With Interval Treadmill Training

Summary

Ambulatory children with cerebral palsy (CP) experience walking limitations which negatively influence their ability to physically participate in day to day life. The investigators propose that impaired muscle power generation is the key limiting factor affecting walking activity and participation. This proposal represents a combined approach where participants undergo resistance training for muscle power generation in combination with locomotor treadmill training that is based on typical pediatric walking and activity patterns rather than adult protocols, which are endurance or time-based. Therefore, the primary objective of this randomized controlled trial is to determine the effect of lower extremity Power Training combined with interval Treadmill Training (PT³) on functional walking capacity and community-based activity and participation in children with CP. We hypothesize that remediating the most pronounced muscle performance impairment (i.e., muscle power) with power training combined with a task- specific approach to walking that is developmentally appropriate will have a significant effect on walking capacity and performance.

Conditions

• Cerebral Palsy
• Central Nervous System Diseases
• Brain Damage, Chronic

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Power training combined with interval treadmill training

Training will consist of unilateral and bilateral leg presses, targeting the quadriceps, hip extensors, and plantarflexors according to resistance training guidelines for muscle power training. The interval treadmill training portion will include short-bursts (30 seconds) of high speed walking intervals alternating with 30 seconds of low to moderate speed walking for a total of 30 minutes. Participants will train 3 x per week for 8 weeks. Total duration of each session will be approximately 1 hour.

BEHAVIORAL

Strength training combined with traditional treadmill training

Training will consist of unilateral and bilateral leg presses, targeting the quadriceps, hip extensors, and plantarflexors following the dosing and resistance training guidelines for muscle strength. Traditional treadmill training will consist of walking at steady-state speeds for 30 minutes. Participants will train 3 x per week for 8 weeks. Total duration of each session will be approximately 1 hour.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Washington

  collaborator OTHER

• Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Noelle G Moreau, PT, PhD · Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

10 Years

Max Age

17 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-04-15

Primary Completion

2023-10-04

Completion

2023-11-10

Countries

• United States

Study Locations