NCT03226860

Improving Gait and Balance in Children With Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy: Gait Myoelectric Stimulator Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 15 (actual)
• Sponsor: MultiCare Health System Research Institute · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 5 Years – 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This research study will see if electrical stimulation increases heel strike (heel hits the floor first when walking), decreases limp, helps muscle contraction, and improves balance in children with a hemiplegic leg. An experimental electrical stimulation device called the Gait MyoElectric Stimulator (GMES) will be used to stimulate the shin and calf muscles.

Detailed description

Physical therapists focus on improving gait and balance in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (HCP). Functional electrical stimulation (FES) has the potential to improve strength and functional gait for children with HCP. The investigators hypothesize that a new FES system stimulating the dorsiflexor (DF) and plantarflexor (PF) muscles alternately at the correct time during gait, would lead to a significant improvement (p\<.05) in foot contact, gait symmetry and balance, compared to 12 weeks of a healthy lifestyle program called 5210.

Conditions

• Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Gait Myoelectric Stimulator	Electrical stimulation during gait for children with CP
OTHER	5210	Children will eat 5 fruits/vegetables each day, watch 2 hours or less of screen time, perform 1 hour or more of physical activity, and drink 0 sugar-sweetened beverages.

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-08-03
• Primary completion: 2016-08-15
• Completion: 2016-12-01
• First posted: 2017-07-24
• Last updated: 2017-07-24