A Physical Therapy Program Targeting Lower Extremity Selective Motor Control in Children With Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Summary

The goal of this intervention study is to learn whether a physical therapy exercise camp called will improve leg movement (motor control) and functional ability in children with spastic CP who are between 5 and 18 years. The main questions the study aims to answer are:

* Does the ability to move the knee at high velocities improve?
* Does function such as walking, running, hopping, climbing stairs improve?
* Will the brain tracts that control movement change?
* Will children who have better independent control of joint motion improve more?

All participants will:

* Attend 15 sessions of an exercise camp for 3 hours per day
* Perform a home exercise program after the camp ends

Measurements:

* Lower extremity selective motor control
* Knee muscle strength at high speeds using an exercise machine
* Gross motor function
* Gait analysis (walking patterns)
* Parent's perception of their child's ability and their satisfaction with that ability
* Change in brain motor tracts using a scanner (MRI) for participants that meet the inclusion criteria for MRI

MRI measurements will be taken twice (before and immediately after the treatment). All other measurements and will be taken 3 times (before, immediately after the treatment and approximately 4 months after the treatment).

Conditions

• Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Interventions

OTHER

Selective movement of individual lower limb joints

Children practices moving the joints of each lower leg independently.

OTHER

Knee joint strengthening at high velocities

In sitting, the thigh and trunk are secured to a seat and the lower leg to a moving arm that provides resistance at exercise velocities progressing up to a maximum of 300 deg/s.

OTHER

Ankle controlled gaming

With the child in sitting, the ankle is secured to a moving segment. The child can control games such as tennis by dorsiflexing and plantar flexing their ankle at increasing velocities to meet the demands of the game.

OTHER

Functional activities based on child and parental goals

The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure is used to identify functional goals. Activities to address these goals are designed by physical therapists and practiced during camp.

OTHER

Sensori-motor exercises

Walking barefoot over sand and grass. Foot and ankle sensory exploration using materials with various textures.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, Los Angeles

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Eileen G Fowler, PhD, PT · University of California, Los Angeles

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

5 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2014-05-01

Primary Completion

2019-01-07

Completion

2019-01-07

Countries

• United States

Study Locations