NCT05154253

Augmenting Ankle Plantarflexor Function in Cerebral Palsy

Augmenting Ankle Plantarflexor Function and Walking Capacity in Children With Cerebral Palsy

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 36 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Northern Arizona University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 8 Years – 21 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The first specific aim is to quantify improvement in ankle muscle function and functional mobility following targeted ankle resistance gait training in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy (CP). The primary hypothesis for the first aim is that targeted ankle resistance training will produce larger improvements in lower-extremity motor control, gait mechanics, and clinical measures of mobility assessed four- and twelve-weeks post intervention compared to standard physical therapy and standard gait training. The second specific aim is to determine the efficacy of adaptive ankle assistance to improve capacity and performance during sustained, high-intensity, and challenging tasks in ambulatory children with CP. The primary hypothesis for the second aim is that adaptive ankle assistance will result in significantly greater capacity and performance during the six-minute-walk-test and graded treadmill and stair stepping protocols compared to walking with ankle foot orthoses and walking with just shoes.

Detailed description

A child's ability to walk effectively is essential to their physical health and general well-being. Unfortunately, many children with cerebral palsy (CP), the most common cause of pediatric physical disability, have difficulty walking and completing higher-intensity ambulatory tasks. This leads to children with CP engaging in levels of habitual physical activity that are well below guidelines and those of children without disabilities, which in turn contributes to many secondary conditions, including metabolic dysfunction and cardiovascular disease. There is broad clinical consensus that plantarflexor dysfunction is a primary contributor to slow, inefficient, and crouched walking patterns in CP; individuals with CP need more effective treatments and mobility aids for plantarflexor dysfunction. To meet this need, this proposal aims to evaluate a holistic strategy to address impaired mobility from plantarflexor dysfunction in CP using a lightweight, dual-mode (assistive or resistive) wearable robotic device. This strategy combines two complementary techniques: (1) targeted ankle resistance for neuromuscular gait training that provides precision therapy to elicit long-term improvements in ankle muscle function, and (2) adaptive ankle assistance to make walking easier during sustained, high-intensity, or challenging tasks. Aim 1: Quantify improvement in ankle muscle function and functional mobility following targeted ankle resistance gait training in ambulatory children with CP Approach - Repeated Measures (RM) and randomized controlled trial: The investigators will compare functional outcomes following targeted ankle resistance training (2 visits/week for 12 weeks) vs. dose-matched standard physical therapy (RM) and vs. dose-matched standard treadmill training (randomized controlled trial). Primary Hypothesis: Targeted ankle resistance training will produce larger improvements in lower-extremity motor control, gait mechanics, and clinical measures of mobility assessed four- and twelve-weeks post intervention compared to the control conditions. Aim 2: Determine the efficacy of adaptive ankle assistance to improve capacity and performance during sustained, high-intensity, and challenging tasks in ambulatory children with CP Approach - Repeated Measures: The investigators will compare task capacity and performance with adaptive ankle assistance vs. standard ankle foot orthoses and vs. shod (no ankle aid) during (a) 6-minute-walk-test, (b) extended-duration over-ground walking (sustained), (c) graded treadmill (high-intensity), and (d) stair-stepping (challenging) protocols. Task capacity and performance will be measured by duration, metabolic cost, speed, and stride length, as applicable. Primary Hypothesis: Adaptive ankle assistance will result in significantly greater capacity and performance compared to the control conditions.

Conditions

• Cerebral Palsy

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Biomotum Spark: Robotic ankle assistance	A lightweight assistive wearable ankle robotic device.
DEVICE	Biomotum Spark: Robotic ankle resistance	A lightweight resistive wearable ankle robotic device.
OTHER	Standard gait training	Standard gait training without a device.
DEVICE	Ankle foot orthosis	Standard ankle foot orthosis
OTHER	Standard physical therapy	Physical therapy without a device.
OTHER	Standard walking	Walking without a device

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-02-01
• Primary completion: 2026-09-14
• Completion: 2026-09-25
• First posted: 2021-12-13
• Last updated: 2026-03-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated device study