Ankle contractures are frequent among children with cerebral palsy and associated with lower gross motor function and degree of spasticity

Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives on the Use of Standing Frames for Children Diagnosed With Cerebral Palsy: An Explanatory Mixed Methods Study

BACKGROUND

Standing frames are commonly used by healthcare professionals in their practice with children with cerebral palsy (CP) who do not have an independent standing function. A better understanding of healthcare professionals' attitudes and experiences with standing frames may impact practice and rehabilitation. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the standing frame practice among healthcare professionals and expand their attitude and experience with the use of standing frames for children with CP.

METHODS

This is an explanatory sequential mixed methods study. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, providing quantitative data on 210 healthcare professionals' use of standing frames. The quantitative data were descriptively analysed. Subsequently, the results from the survey were followed up with five focus group interviews of healthcare professionals (n = 14). The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis, enabling integration between the quantitative and qualitative data.

RESULTS

When quantitative and qualitative data are integrated, expansion between the two datasets occurred. The quantitative dataset emphasised the use of GMFCS levels as a guideline for recommending standing frames, whereas the qualitative data showed that the healthcare professionals' recommendations were based on individual needs. Furthermore, the healthcare professionals expanded the quantitative data, showing that the healthcare professionals' considerations regarding age and dosage were based on clinical experience, and saw the standing frame as having many benefits.

CONCLUSION

The healthcare professionals had a child-centred approach, where the child's need for using a standing frame was assessed based on the functional level, stage of development, cognitive level and clinical assessment. All of these considerations showed that the use of standing frames for children with CP was individualised, thereby making it difficult to make unified descriptions.

Limited associations between passive range of motion and gross motor function in ambulant/semi-ambulant children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood motor disability, and the Cerebral Palsy Follow-Up Program (CPUP) in Nordic countries uses a traffic light system for passive range of motion (ROM) assessment to aid interpretation and guide decisions regarding interventions. However, the arbitrary chosen ROM threshold values and their potential clinical impact are uncertain. We investigated whether lower extremity ROM values were positively associated with gross motor function and whether gross motor function scores differ between the CPUP ROM thresholds.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional analysis of CPUP data for 841 ambulatory children and adolescents with CP, at a mean (SD) age of 9 (3). Regression analyses were employed to explore the relationship between gross motor capacity and performance (using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66) and the Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) 5/50/500 m, respectively) and lower extremity ROM, measured with a goniometer. ROM was assessed both as continuous and categorical variables.

RESULTS

We found that two out of ten continuous ROM measures were positively associated with gross motor function. Limited differences in gross motor function between the ROM thresholds were seen for seven out of ten ROM measures. The CPUP traffic light thresholds primarily differentiated gross motor function between the red and green categories, predominantly for the subgroup of participants with bilateral spastic CP.

CONCLUSION

Limited associations between passive ROM and gross motor function in children and adolescents with CP were observed, indicating that there is more to consider than ROM when identifying whether interventions are needed.

Parent-therapist partnership to ELEVATE gross motor function in children with perinatal stroke: protocol for a mixed methods randomized controlled trial

Background

There is increasing evidence for early, active rehabilitation to enhance motor function following early brain injury. This is clear for interventions targeting the upper extremity, whereas passive treatment approaches for the lower extremity persist. The purpose of this trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of early, intensive rehabilitation targeting the lower extremity and delivered in a parent-therapist partnership model for children with perinatal stroke.

Methods

We describe a protocol for a waitlist-control, single-blind, mixed methods effectiveness randomized controlled trial, with an embedded qualitative study using interpretative description. Participants are children with perinatal stroke aged eight months to three years with signs of hemiparesis. Participants will be randomly allocated to an immediate ELEVATE (Engaging the Lower Extremity Via Active Therapy Early) intervention group, or a waitlist-control group, who will receive usual care for six months. The ELEVATE intervention involves one hour of training four days per week for 12 weeks, with a pediatric therapist and a parent or guardian each delivering two sessions per week. The intervention targets the affected lower extremity by progressively challenging the child while standing and walking. The primary outcome measure is the Gross Motor Function Measure-66. Secondary outcomes include the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™, Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure, and an instrumented measure of spasticity. A cost-effectiveness analysis and qualitative component will explore benefit to costs ratios and parents’ perspectives of early, intensive rehabilitation, and their role as a partner in the rehabilitation, respectively.

Discussion

This study has the potential to change current rehabilitation for young children with perinatal stroke if the ELEVATE intervention is effective. The parent interviews will provide further insight into benefits and challenges of a partnership model of rehabilitation. The mixed methods design will enable optimization for transfer of this collaborative approach into physical therapy practice.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03672864. Registered 17 September 2018.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12887-022-03525-6.

Muscle Contractures in Adults With Cerebral Palsy Characterized by Combined Ultrasound-Derived Echo Intensity and Handheld Dynamometry Measures

We used ultrasound-derived echo intensity and hand-held dynamometry to characterize plantar flexor muscle contractures in adults with cerebral palsy (CP). Eleven adults with CP (aged 41 ± 12 y, Gross Motor Function Classification System I-II) and 11 neurologically intact adults (aged 35 ± 10 y) participated in the study. Echo intensity was measured from the medial gastrocnemius muscle using brightness mode ultrasound. Hand-held dynamometry was used to quantify plantar flexor passive muscle stiffness and ankle joint passive range of motion (pROM). Echo intensity correlated with both passive muscle stiffness (r = 0.57, p = 0.006) and pROM (r = -0.56, p = 0.006). Ultrasound echo intensity (p = 0.02, standardized mean difference [SMD] = 1.13) and passive muscle stiffness (p < 0.001, SMD = 1.99) were higher and ankle joint pROM (p < 0.001, SMD = 2.69) was lower in adults with CP than in neurologically intact adults. We conclude that combined ultrasound-derived echo intensity and hand-held dynamometry may be used to provide an objective characterization of muscle contractures.