Does home-based progressive resistance or high intensity circuit training improve strength, function, activity or participation in children with cerebral palsy?

Publication date: Available online 4 July 2018

Source: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Author(s): Christian Schranz, Annika Kruse, Teresa Belohlavek, Gerhardt Steinwender, Markus Tilp, Thomas Pieber, Martin Svehlik

Objective

Does home-based progressive resistance or high intensity circuit training improve strength, function, activity or participation in children with cerebral palsy?

Design

This was the first study on high intensity circuit training for children with cerebral palsy. This study was conducted as a randomized prospective controlled pilot-study.

Setting

Evaluation took place at the gait laboratory of the university hospital, training sessions were performed at home.

Participants

22 children with CP (average age:12 years, 10 months, 19 GMFCS I, 3 GMFCS II) were randomly assigned either to PRT or HICT.

Interventions

The PRT-group trained with progressive overload while the HICT-group performed as many repetitions as possible within 30s-intervals (8-weeks, 3 times weekly in both groups).

Outcome measures

Outcome measures stretched over all domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and included muscle strength, Muscle power sprint test, Timed-stairs-test, 6-minute walking test, Gait Profile Score, Timed-up-and-go test and participation questionnaires.

Results

Only the HICT-group was able to improve strength. Furthermore, HICT-group scored better in the Muscle power sprint test while PRT-participants improved in the timed-stairs-test and Timed-up-and-go test. There was no change of any other measures of mobility or participation for both groups.

Conclusion

Both programs improved function specific to intervention. However, only HICT-group showed significant strength improvements. Compliance was decent in both groups, but the average training unit was shorter in the HICT-group. Both exercise programs showed functional benefits but HICT might be the preferable option for strengthening in highly functional children with CP.

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