The effects of a multisensory dynamic balance training on the thickness of lower limb muscles in ultrasonography in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.
Seung-Min Nam, Won-Hyo Kim, Chang-Kyo Yun
PMID 28533629WHAT IT FOUND
Children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy who practised a screen-based balance game showed greater increases in several lower-limb muscle thicknesses than children who received general physiotherapy.
The study measured muscle size, not walking or function.
Key findings
01Children in the multisensory dynamic balance group had significant increases in rectus femoris, medial gastrocnemius, and lateral gastrocnemius thickness after training, while the control group did not.
02Tibialis anterior thickness increased significantly in both groups after training.
03Between-group differences were significant for rectus femoris, medial gastrocnemius, and lateral gastrocnemius thickness.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 15 children, so the findings are preliminary. The outcome was muscle thickness on ultrasound, not strength, walking, balance, or daily function. The paper does not report dropouts or withdrawals. The written results and table disagree about the between-group significance value. The study was conducted at one outpatient setting, and the balance trainer may not be available to all therapists.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this training improves strength or walking. The outcome was ultrasound muscle thickness, and the study did not measure function.