Importance of Strength Training in Children with Diplegia Cerebral Palsy

Posted by Trishla Foundation on November 9th, 2020

Until recently, strength training was not considered for children, as it was believed that it could increase their spasticity. However, the theory is entirely different from the uncontrolled studies stating the strength training without increasing spasticity can increase muscle power in children.

In fact, various studies have provided adequate evidence for the effect of strength training on muscle power. But the results of the training have been overestimated because of the lower systematic quality of the studies.

So, a team of researchers evaluated the effect of conventional strength training on children with diplegia cerebral palsy. Check out the details here.

Research about the Importance of Strength Training

The study was conducted to know the effects of strength training on strengthening lower limbs or the children's walking ability with diplegia cerebral palsy. The effect was measured with a 10-meter walk test and six-minute walk test for endurance. Moreover, joint strength was also measured during the process.

The researchers formed musculoskeletal simulator to study the gait in children and to evaluate the effectiveness of strength training and its benefits to the entire body movements, specifically propulsion and walking.

Musculoskeletal simulation analysis was performed on four children. The children's gait was a computer model based on the video tracks and ground reaction forces. The results of which were noted before and after strength training protocol. The stimulations revealed that strength training improves dynamic muscle forces during walking and significantly affects hip muscles.

The program was combined with exercises for the extensors and hip flexors, ankle plantar flexors, and knee extensors three times a week for six weeks. This plan has previously improved walking speed of diplegic cerebral palsy children.

The Result

It was found that the program significantly increased the joint strength in all the muscles. However, there was no endurance or walking speed improvement. Some children have experienced improvements in walking ability, but the overall change was not good.

The responses to strength training varied from child to child. Two of them showed improvement in strength and walking, while one had moderate improvement in strength with limited mobility improvement. The fourth child had reduced strength but showed good improvement in his walking speed.

The gait stimulation directly provided insights about the children's muscle behavior, which was not clear from the strength test and can explain the changes in clinical mobility outcomes.

In light of these results, it was concluded that progressive strength training and specific training could work on the weakness and improve the walking ability of children with diplegic cerebral palsy.

But as some strength training programs can result in variable mobility outcomes, there should be an analysis to identify the type of therapy and target which is most effective for an individual child and must be used for the betterment. However, hip abductors are often overlooked, but they play an essential role in stabilizing gait and must be considered for future strength staining protocol.

Right Medical Center for the Best Care

To see the maximum benefits that the program is customized for your child. A good medical center can offer the right training, providing better results. Trishla Foundation can be the right choice for your kid and his special needs. The care he will receive their will surely help will recover fast.