Pbwstt in Children with Cerebral Palsy

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PBWSTT in children with Cerebral Palsy This article talks about the effects of a partial body weight supported treadmill training program (PBWSTT) on the walking speed and endurance of children with Cerebral Palsy. The study was performed twice a week for 6 weeks. A short PBWSTT program can improve the walking speed of children with cerebral palsy or with moderate to severe disabilities. Treadmill training is seen as a useful gait training option for children with CP. The purpose of the study is to emphasize that efficient and independent walking is an important therapeutic goal for children with CP because as much as 90% have difficulty walking. Theories of motor learning suggest that task-specific repetitive practice can improve activities such as walking in children with CP. The participants of the study were taken from two schools for children with disabilities. Children were between the ages of 5 and 18. Participants had to be able to understand simple instructions and have a CP level of 3 on the Gross Motor Function Classification System. Participants who needed physical assistants from another person to walk, had undergone lower limb surgery, serial casting within 6 months, or had anything else limiting them from participation were excluded from the program. The actual training program was implemented in only of the schools taking part in the trial. Each child was matched for sex, age (within a 2 year range), type of CP, and a GMFCS level (ten at Level 4, four at level 3) to a child attending the other school. These pairs were considered the control group of the experiment. The experimental group demonstrated a mean increase of 4.21 m/min (68% increase) in speed. The experimental group demonstrated to be able to walk for longer distances over-ground in 10 minutes compared to the control group. There was no significant between-group difference
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