The Therapeutic Effects of Body Weight-Supported Treadmill Training on Childeren with Cerebral Palsy.

, Kim, Young Jin; , Koo, Jung Hoi; , Yoo, Jong Yoon; , Sung, In Young

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine 2004;28(5):444-448.

Kim, Young Jin , Koo, Jung Hoi , Yoo, Jong Yoon , Sung, In Young

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Korea. iysung@amc.seoul.kr

뇌성마비 환아의 부분 체중 부하를 이용한 트래드밀 보행 훈련의 치료 효과

김영진, 구정회, 유종윤, 성인영

울산대학교 의과대학 서울아산병원 재활의학과

Abstract

Objective
To determine the effectiveness of body weight- supported treadmill training on gait pattern in children with cerebral palsy
Method
Seventeen children with cerebral palsy were given with body weight-supported treadmill training. The gait training was offered on treadmill and they were trained five times a week, 20 minutes a session for three weeks. To evaluate the ambulatory function, we estimated the walking distance for one minute and gait analysis before and after the treatment. Gait analysis was done for 11 children with Vicon 370 computerized gait analyzer and linear parameters, kinematic and kinetic data were obtained.
Results
Walking distance for one minute increased from 6.74⁑6.16 m to 11.06⁑7.98 m. In linear parameters by gait analysis, gait speed (0.15⁑0.18 m/sec to 0.23⁑0.24 m/sec, p＜0.05), cadence (53.0⁑26.3 steps/min to 65.9⁑35.7 steps/min, p＜0.05), and stride length (0.30⁑0.17 meters to 0.35⁑0.18 meters, p＜0.05) increased following body weight-supported treadmill training. Also, there was a significant difference in knee flexion during loading response.
Conclusion
In rehabilitation of cerebral palsy, body weight- supported treadmill training improved gait pattern. So, we recommend this gait training method for children with cerebral palsy. (J Korean Acad Rehab Med 2004; 28: 444-448)

Key Words: Cerebral palsy, Body weight-supported treadmill training, Gait analysis