Electrical Stimulation for Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Meta-analysis for Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Background: Different types of electrical stimulation (ES) showed diverse effects on children with cerebral palsy (CP). Previous studies reported inconsistent results for effect of ES on children with CP. The present study aimed to make a meta-analysis to summarize these diverse results. Methods: We searched for studies exploring effect of ES on children with CP in databases (Pubmed and Web of Science) from their inception until December, 2022. Standard mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed using STATA 12.0 software. Results: The meta-analysis included N = 19 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (including N = 265 CP patients in test group and N = 263 CP patients in corresponding control group). The study showed an increased improvement in gross motor function, walking speed, step length and daily living activities in ES group compared to corresponding control group with random effects models (gross motor function: SMD = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.43 to 2.65; walking speed: SMD = 3.71, 95% CI = 1.49 to 5.92; step length: SMD = 1.89, 95% CI = 0.65 to 3.13; daily living activities: SMD = 5.18, 95% CI = 3.04 to 7.31), whereas the study showed no significant difference in change of muscle strength between ES group and the corresponding control group with a random effects model (SMD = 0.42, 95% CI = -0.12 to 0.97). Conclusions: The study demonstrated that ES might be used as therapy to improve gross motor function, gait and daily living activities in children with CP.

The Effect of Crouching Gait on Ankle Biomechanics in Children with Cerebral Palsy

“…In clinical practice, the treatment of children with a crouching gait often requires the assistance of ankle-foot orthoses and gait rehabilitation robots. Ankle-foot orthoses are an effective physiotherapy intervention to improve gait and studies have shown that wearing ankle-foot orthoses can reduce pathological reflex patterns and energy expenditure for walking, significantly improving motor function in children with cerebral palsy [15]. The overall mechanism of action of orthoses is the correction of lower limb force lines.…”