The effect of wearing night splints for one year on the standing motor function of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Hitomi Nishizawa, Ayumi Matsukiyo, Naoko Shiba and 2 others
PMID 29706709WHAT IT FOUND
Boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who wore night splints for over half the year showed improved left ankle flexibility compared to those who wore them less.
However, overall walking ability and right ankle flexibility did not significantly differ between the groups.
Key findings
01Participants who wore night splints for at least 50% of the time showed a significant improvement in left ankle dorsiflexion angle compared to those who wore them less frequently.
02There was no significant difference between the high-wear and low-wear groups in North Star Ambulatory Assessment scores, 10-meter running times, or time to stand from the floor.
03The study was underpowered, with statistical power ranging from 0.38 to 0.70 and a minimum required sample size of 12 participants.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Very small sample size (n=9), leading to low statistical power. No control group of patients who did not wear splints at all. Participants were already receiving corticosteroids and physical therapy, making it difficult to isolate the effect of the splints. The study was observational, comparing adherence levels rather than randomly assigning participants to wear or not wear splints.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the significant improvement in left ankle dorsiflexion as evidence that night splints improve overall mobility or walking function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The study was underpowered, and no significant differences were found in the primary functional outcomes (NSAA, running, standing).