Factors Influencing the Progression and Direction of Scoliosis in Children with Neurological Disorders

(1) Background: scoliosis is highly prevalent in children with neurological disorders, however, studies predicting the progression and affecting the direction of scoliosis have been insufficient. We investigated the factors associated with the progression and direction of scoliosis in children with neurological disorders. (2) Method: retrospectively, 518 whole spine radiographs from 116 patients were used for analysis. Factors affecting the progression of scoliosis over time were analyzed using linear mixed-effects model. Factors associated with the apex direction of the scoliosis were analyzed. (3) Results: pelvic obliquity (PO) ≥ 2.5°, gross motor function classification system level V, vertebral rotation, and female sex significantly affect the progression of scoliosis (p = 0.04, <0.001, <0.001, 0.005, respectively). The higher side of PO and the apex side of scoliosis were interrelated (χ² = 14.58, p < 0.001), but the asymmetrical neurological upper extremity involvement was not. (4) Conclusions: severely impaired gross motor function, PO, vertebral rotation, and female sex were significantly related to the progression of scoliosis. The higher side of PO was opposite to the apex side of scoliosis. By identifying the factors that influence the progression of scoliosis, patients at high risk could be more actively intervened to minimize the severe complications.

Goal-Directed Therapy to Improve Gross Motor Function and the Quality of Life of Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: The multiplicity of interventions for the treatment of cerebral palsy (CP) can cause confusion about which are most suited to certain individuals. Hypothesis is that goal-directed therapy (GDT) can guide integrating therapies to improve clinical outcomes compared with conventional therapy (CT). Method: A prospective, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial was done with 23 children with CP (mean age, 4 years 4 months old; SD 1y4mo), who were divided into groups according to their level of gross motor function: GDT and CT. Both groups received 12 physiotherapy (PT) sessions and advice on daily home programs. The GDT group additionally had a team meeting to set a specific goal, and PT programs were shaped toward that goal. Assessments were done at baseline and after treatments, using the Thai-version Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66), CP-Quality of Life (CP-QOL), caregiver burden, and home program compliance. Results: After the treatments, the GDT group showed significant improvements in GMFM-66, CP-QOL, and caregiver burden, while the CT group revealed improvements in caregiver burden and some domains of the GMFM, including sitting and crawling & kneeling. Comparisons between groups found GDT was more effective than CT in improving GMFM-66 and CP-QOL. Home program compliance was higher in the GDT (69%) than the CT group (42%). Conclusion: GDT demonstrated clear gains for children with CP regarding gross motor function and QOL improvements. Team communication toward a customized goal was crucial, empowering the children and their caregivers to comply with home programs to achieve the set goal.

Associations between gait kinematics, gross motor function and physical activity among young people with cerebral palsy: A cross sectional study

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between gait parameters, gross motor function and physical activity (PA) in young people with cerebral palsy (CP). METHODS: Thirty-eight adolescents aged between 10–19 years with spastic CP in GMFCS levels I-III (mean [standard deviation] age 13.7 [2.4] yr; 53%female) were included in this cross-sectional study. Hip, knee and ankle joint excursion and stance time was assessed using 3D gait analysis. Self-selected walking speed was assessed during a timed 10 m overground walk and treadmill walking. Gross motor function was assessed using dimensions D and E of the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66). Moderate-to-vigorous PA, light PA and step-count were assessed using an accelerometer. Linear regression was used to examine associations. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, sex and GMFCS level, percentage stance time was associated with dimension E of the GMFM-66 (β= –0.29, 95%CI –0.54 to –0.05). There was no evidence that any other gait parameters were associated with GMFM-66 dimensions D or E. There was also no evidence that gait parameters or GMFM-66 dimensions D or E were associated with step-count or time in PA after adjusting for age, sex and GMFCS level. DISCUSSION: The findings provide an insight into the complexity of the relationship between gait quality or ability at the impairment level, function as measured in a controlled environment, and the performance of habitual PA, which is essential for health among children with CP.

Integrated Rehabilitation for Children with Cerebral palsy: A Prospective Observational Study

Objectives: This study aimed to analyse: 1) the clinical effectiveness and safety of traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) and frequency of TKM therapies used and their relationship with conventional treatments.Methods: This prospective observational study enrolled children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 6-78 months (n=126). The children who used herbal medication for >30 days or acupuncture treatment >12 sessions within 6 months were defined as the integrated rehabilitation (IR) group; the remaining participants were included in the conventional rehabilitation (CR) group.Results: Changes in the Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (GMFM-66) were greater in the IR group (6.4±6.1) than in the CR group (4.6±5.8). The reduction in the number of other health problems was greater in the IR group than in the CR group. The GMFM-66 improvement was greatest in gross motor function classification system level 1. There was no between-group difference in the frequency of rehabilitation therapy (10.9±6.6 and 12.0±9.9 in the IR and CR groups, respectively).Conclusion: TKM may offer additional benefits in terms of the GMFM-66 score and other health problems. However, there is a need for further randomized controlled trials involving a restricted CP type and a controlled treatment type and intensity to confirm these findings.

Gambaran Peningkatan Fungsi Motorik Kasar Pada Anak Cerebral Palsy Spastik Setelah Pemberian Hippotherapy: Literature Review

Spastic Cerebral Palsy is a type of Cerebral Palsy that experiences stiffness or tightness of the muscles. These muscles become stiff because messages to the muscles are conveyed incorrectly by the damaged part of the brain. The presence of spasticity will affect gross motor function disorders in children with cerebral palsy. One of the physiotherapy approaches to improve gross motor function is hippotherapy. This literature review study aims to describe gross motor function in Spastic Cerebral Palsy children after giving hippotherapy from several articles. The selection of articles in this study was a literature review analysis using the PICO method, five articles were obtained for review from several data bases such as PubMed (n=2) and Google Scholar (n=3). The measuring instrument uses GMFM (Gross Motor Function Measure) to measure gross motor function in Spastic Cerebral Palsy children. The results of the literature review analysis in these five articles indicate that hippotherapy can improve gross motor function in Spastic Cerebral Palsy children with an average value before the action of 63.65 and after the action of 66.68. From the results of the literature review of these five articles, it shows that hippotherapy is proven to improve gross motor function in Spastic Cerebral Palsy children before and after giving intervention with hippotherapy modality with an average difference of 3.03. Hippotherapy can be used as a reference material for interventions or research materials or physiotherapy research, especially in pediatric cases.Keywords: GMFM; spastic cerebral palsy; hippotherapy AbstrakCerebral Palsy Spastik merupakan salah satu jenis Cerebral Palsy yang mengalami kekakuan atau keketatan otot-otot. Otot ini menjadi kaku karena pesan pada otot disampaikan secara tidak benar oleh bagian otak yang rusak. Adanya spastisitas akan berpengaruh terhadap gangguan fungsi motorik kasar pada anak Cerebral Palsy. Salah satu pendekatan fisioterapi untuk meningkatkan fungsi motorik kasar adalah hippotherapy. Penelitian literature review ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui gambaran fungsi motorik kasar pada anak Cerebral Palsy Spastik setelah pemberian hippotherapy dari beberapa artikel. Pemilihan artikel pada penelitian ini yaitu analisis literature review dengan metode PICO, didapatkan lima artikel untuk direview dari beberapa data base sepertiPubMed (n=2) dan Google Scholar (n=3). Alat ukur menggunakan GMFM (Gross Motor Function Measure) untuk mengukur fungsi motorik kasar pada anak Cerebral Palsy Spastik. Hasil analisis literature review pada kelima artikel ini menunjukkan bahwa hippotherapy dapat meningkatkan fungsi motorik kasar pada anak Cerebral Palsy Spastik dengan nilai rata-rata sebelum tindakan 63,65 dan sesudah tindakan 66,68. Dari hasil literature review kelima artikel ini menunjukkan bahwa hippotherapy terbukti dapat meningkatkan fungsi motorik kasar pada anak Cerebral Palsy Spastik sebelum dan sesudah pemberian intervensi dengan modalitas hippotherapy dengan hasil selisih rata-rata sebesar 3,03. Hippotherapy dapat digunakan sebagai bahan acuan untuk intervensi maupun bahan riset atau penelitian fisioterapi khususnya pada kasus pediatric.Kata kunci : GMFM;cerebral palsy spastik;hippotherapy

Baseline Gross Motor Function Affects the Outcome of Robot-Assisted Therapy in Ambulatory Individuals with Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Robotic-assisted therapy (RAT) is a task-specific approach for treating gait disorders in individuals with neurological impairments. However, the effectiveness of RAT is not clear for different severities of involvement, pathologies, and ages. This study aimed to assess the functional and clinical status outcomes after RAT in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). Twenty-eight individuals with bilateral spastic CP were enrolled (female = 10; male = 18; age = 15.2 ± 2.0 years). The RAT program consisted of 30 sessions: five sessions weekly for six weeks. Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and clinical physical examinations were evaluated before and after RAT. Our results suggested that the RAT program with the described protocol can improve the general gross motor functions of individuals with CP in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I and II, and primarily improves performance on less complex GMFM items for those in GMFCS levels III and IV. The lower baseline functional level was related to a greater functional improvement. Older individuals were noticed to improve more in GMFM dimension D. Regarding impairments evaluated by clinical examinations, no change was found after RAT intervention. It is worth mentioning that the strength of knee muscles was not affected either.