Effect of Nordic Walking on Gait-asymmetry Patterns in Children With Hemiparesis

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Nordic walking is a physical activity consisting of walking with poles similar to ski poles. The poles are designed for the purpose of activating the upper body during walking. The poles are equipped with rubber or spike tips and the walking itself resembles.

Detailed Description
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Compared to normal walking in Nordic walking there is a stronger involvement of the upper body. Furthermore, by using the poles, the muscles in the upper body can be activated, and the length of each step taken is supposedly increased, resulting in a faster gait .

Official Title
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Effect of Nordic Walking on Gait-asymmetry Patterns in Children With Hemiparesis

Conditions
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Cerebral Palsy

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: designed physical therapy program
* Other: Nordic walking


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Their age will range from 6-10 years, from both sexes. Level I, II and III of gross motor functional classification system (GMFCS) (Jooyeon et al., 2011) Grade 1 and 1+ spasticity according to the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). (Cloptonetal et al., 2005). Exclusion Criteria: Uncontrolled epilepsy. Mental retardation or autistic features. Significant visual or auditory problems according to medical reports (audio-vestibular and ophthalmic examination), Structural or fixed soft tissue deformities of the lower and/or upper extremities. Neurological or orthopedic surgery in the past 12 months in the lower and/or upper extremities. Botox injection in the lower and/or upper extremities in the past 6 months.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 6 Years
Maximum Age: 10 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: control group<br>15 Children in this group will receive a designed physical therapy program for 60 minutes per session, three times a week, for three consecutive months. | Other: designed physical therapy program<br>* it will be applied for for 60 min weekly for 3 successive months in the form of three sets of exercises (20 minutes each) as follows: Flexibility exercises to restore joint mobility of soft tissues. Static and dynamic balance exercises Functional strengthening exercises. Functional gait training.<br>|
| Experimental: Nordic walking group<br>Children in this group will receive the same designed physical therapy program for 60 minutes per session, three times a week, for three consecutive months. while the Nordic walking training for 20 minutes will replace the functional gait training. | Other: designed physical therapy program<br>* it will be applied for for 60 min weekly for 3 successive months in the form of three sets of exercises (20 minutes each) as follows: Flexibility exercises to restore joint mobility of soft tissues. Static and dynamic balance exercises Functional strengthening exercises. Functional gait training.<br>Other: Nordic walking<br>* it will be conducted according to the guidelines of the International Nordic Walking Federation<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Assessment of gait | The gait parameters will be assessed by kinovea software. Kinovea, free 2D motion analysis software, was created in 2009 via the non-profit collaboration of several researchers, athletes, coaches and programmers from all over the world. It enables the analysis of distances, angles, coordinates and spatial-temporal parameters frame by frame from a video recording. These measurements can be made from different perspectives, since the software carries out calibrations in non-perpendicular planes to the camera-object line analyzed. spatio-temporal parameters will be measured | after 3 successive months | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Cerebral palsy, gait, spatio-temporal gait parameters, unilateral cerebral palcy, Nordic walking