Highlights
- •This is the first prospective randomized study of high-intensity circuit training for children with cerebral palsy.
- •Home-based training is an effective extension to institutional training in children with cerebral palsy.
- •High-intensity and progressive resistance strength trainings improved specific functional parameters.
- •There was no improvement for other measures of function or participation measures.
- •Only high-intensity circuit training enhanced total muscle strength.
Abstract
Objective
Does home-based progressive resistance or high-intensity circuit training improve
strength, function, activity, or participation in children with cerebral palsy (CP)?
Design
This was the first study on high-intensity circuit training for children with CP.
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
Children (N=22) with CP (average age: 12y, 10mo, 19 Gross Motor Function Classification
System level I, 3 level II) were randomly assigned either to progressive resistance
training (PRT) or high-intensity circuit training (HICT).
Interventions
The PRT group trained with progressive overload, while the HICT group performed as
many repetitions as possible within 30-second intervals (8wk, 3 times weekly in both
groups).
Main 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 (MPST), timed stairs test (TST), 6-minute walking test, Gait Profile Score (GPS),
timed Up and Go test (TUGT) and participation questionnaires.
Results
Only the HICT group was able to improve strength. Furthermore, the HICT group scored
better in the MPST, while PRT participants improved in the TST and TUGT. The HICT-group
was able to show improvement in the subscores of the parent-reported participation
questionnaire. Other measures of mobility or participation did not change.
Conclusions
Both programs improved function specific to intervention. However, only the HICT group
showed significant strength and participation 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.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
ASKp (Activity Scale for Kids Performance version), CP (cerebral palsy), GPS (Gait Profile Score), HICT (high-intensity circuit training), ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health), MPST (muscle power sprint test), PODCI (Pediatric Outcome Data Collection Instrument), PRT (progressive resistance training), TST (timed stairs test), TUGT (timed Up and Go test)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 03, 2018
Footnotes
Clinical Trial Registration No.: NCT02319122.
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
