Efficacy of Combination Taping Technique vs Ankle Foot Orthosis on Improving Gait Parameters in Cerebral Palsy
Condition: Gait; Spastic Diplegia
MeSH terms: Muscle Spasticity; Cerebral Palsy
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Gait in children with spastic CP is often characterized by abnormal gait kinematics as knee
      flexion and equines foot which associated with such gait deviations, an elevated walking
      energy cost is often observed which may contribute to activity limitations.

      The ability to maintain proper joint alignment of the lower extremity, and control the
      position of the foot in standing and walking is a critical treatment objective for gait in
      children with cerebral palsy. Lower extremity orthoses, such as ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs)
      are widely recommended in children with spastic cerebral palsy to prevent the development or
      progression of this deformity and to improve the dynamic efficiency of the child's gait. The
      use of Kinesio taping in pediatric rehabilitation becomes increasingly popular in recent
      years. Recent systematic reviews reported moderate evidence that Kinesiology taping is a
      useful adjunct to physiotherapy intervention in higher functioning children with CP.
      Combination tapings is a technique first introduced by Kenzo Kase, in which Kinesio taping is
      coupled with the rigid athletic tape to maximize the treatment benefits. This approach
      remains briefly addressed in the literature with no prior studies has examined the effects of
      combination tapings in the CP pediatric population. Hypothesis: there is no difference
      between the effect of combining tapings and ankle-foot orthosis on spatiotemporal gait
      parameters in spastic cerebral palsied
    

Detailed description: 
      This study was designed as a randomized controlled trial. The participants and their parents
      were given clear, detailed explanation of the proposed procedures before starting the
      experiment, and signed a written informed consent statement. Batterjee Medical College
      Research and Ethical committee reviewed and approved the study, which were conducted in
      compliance with the 1975 Helsinki Declaration. Thirty-six children (22 males and 14 females)
      with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy were enrolled in this study. The children were randomly
      assigned into two study groups (A & B), and a control group (C). Randomization was done by
      asking each child to pick up an index card out of a box that contains 36 cards (12 cards for
      each group) to determine which group participants would be in. Measurements were taken in two
      occasions, baseline, and four weeks after application of the intervention. Spatiotemporal
      Gait parameters were measured as per the published guidelines using the GAITRite system.
      Parameters included were cadence, step length; stride length, single support time, double
      support time, and velocity were evaluated.
    

Intervention name(s): Conventional physical therapy; Ankle Foot Orthosis; Combination Taping
Intervention type(s): Other; Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Stretching for tight muscles, weak muscles Strengthening, Postural reactions training, Proprioceptive training, and Walking training; Solid prescribed AFO with a wearing schedule of 6-12 hours per day; Combination between elastic and inelastic taping
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Combination Taping; Ankle foot orthosis; Spatio-temporal paremeters