Effects of Stationary Cycling Intervention on Children with Diaplegic Cerebral Palsy
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- Category: Vol. 77, December 2009
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Effects of Stationary Cycling Intervention on Children with Diaplegic Cerebral Palsy, REDA S.M. SARHAN
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a stationary cycling intervention on children with diaplegic CP.
Subjects: Twenty subjects from both sexes, with age ranged from eight to fifteen years. (14 boys, 6 girls, mean age 9.7±3.3 years, height 127±13cm, weight 31.0±12.9kg) with spastic diplegic CP selected on basic criteria, were enrolled in this study. They were selected from the pediatrics outpatient-clinics of Al. Hussin University Hospital. Date of onset for all patients was since birth.
Methods: Patients were randomly divided into two groups of equal number: Study group (cycling intervention), and control group (no cycling intervention). The control group received a program of the traditional method of physical therapy treatment, while the study group was exposed to the same traditional method of physical therapy treatment followed by suggested program of cycling intervention, the cycling intervention included strengthening phase. During the strength-ening phase, the resistance to lower extremity cycling pro-gressively increased. Isometric muscle strength for right lower limb muscles, Energy expenditure (EEI) and Walking ability were measured, collected and recorded before and after the suggested period of treatment. Treatment for both groups continued for 12 successive weeks, 3 times per week each session lasted 60 minutes. All children were evaluated before and after the intervention period.
Results: Results collected at the end of treatment from both groups revealed significant improvement of the outcome measures with an observed difference in favor of the study group. This can be attributed to the effect of cycling exercises on inhibition of spasticity with consequent improvement of muscular strength of the anti-gravity muscles.
Conclusion: The benefits afforded from this study indicate that application of cycling exercises in cases of diplegia can reduce the excitability of motor neuron pool in the spastic muscles, which in turn reduces spasticity, facilitating voluntary motor control and improves isometric muscle strength and walking efficiency. The benefits acquired from this study indicate the utilization of cycling intervention in the treatment of diplopic children.