Effect of backward walking training on postural balance in children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled study

Youssr El-Basatiny, Heba M
Almaz Abdel-aziem, Amr

¹ Department of Physical Therapy for Growth and Developmental Disorders in Children and its Surgery, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Egypt
² Physical Therapy Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia
³ Department of Biomechanics, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

Corresponding author: Amr Almaz Abdel-aziem, Department of Biomechanics, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, 7 Ahmed Elziat Street, Giza, 12612, Egypt.

Email: [email protected]

Received: 28 March 2014; accepted: 26 July 2014

Clinical Rehabilitation 29(5):p 457-467, May 2015. | DOI: 10.1177/0269215514547654

Abstract

Objective:

To study the effect of additional backward walking training on postural control in children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy.

Design:

Randomized controlled study.

Setting:

Physical therapy clinics.

Subjects:

Thirty spastic hemiparetic cerebral palsied children of both sexes (10–14 years, 14 girls and 16 boys).

Intervention:

Children were randomly assigned into two equal groups: experimental and control groups. Both groups received a traditional physical therapy program for 12 weeks. Experimental group additionally received backward walking training which was provided 25 min/day, 3 days/week for 3 successive months.

Outcome measures:

Baseline and post-treatment assessment for overall, anteroposterior, and mediolateral stability indices were evaluated by using Biodex balance system.

Results:

After treatment; two way ANOVA revealed significant improvement in overall, anteroposterior and mediolateral stability indices of experimental group at the most stable level (level 12) and moderately unstable level (level 7) (1.40 ± 0.44 and 1.73 ± 0.51; 1.11 ± 0.34 and 2.13 ± 0.52; 1.93 ± 0.51 and 2.68 ± 0.52) respectively, than control group (1.77 ± 0.44 and 2.17 ± 0.56; 1.44 ± 0.44 and 2.54 ± 0.49; 2.39 ± 0.65 and 3.11 ± 0.49) respectively, (P < 0.05). There were significant improvement in all measured variables for both groups at both levels (P < 0.05).

Conclusion:

Additional backward walking training to traditional physical therapy program yields improvement in postural stability indices in children with spastic hemiparetic cerebral palsy than traditional physical therapy alone.