← Back to Search

Physical Therapy for Cerebral Palsy

N/A

Waitlist Available

Led By Max J Kurz, PhD

Research Sponsored by University of Nebraska

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Be younger than 65 years old

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up baseline and 3 months post and 6 months post treatment

Awards & highlights

Study Summary

This trial will help researchers understand how children with CP improve after physical therapy, and what changes happen in the brain during this process.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ baseline and 3 months post and 6 months post treatment

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~baseline and 3 months post and 6 months post treatment

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and baseline and 3 months post and 6 months post treatment for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Outcome measures can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary outcome measures

Change in Brain Activity in Motor Cortices - MEG

Change in Brain Activity in Sensory Cortices - MEG

Change in Mobility - 1-Minute Walk

+1 more

Secondary outcome measures

Change in Activity - Actograph

Change in Hoffmann Reflex (H-reflex)

Change in Mobility - Dynamic Gait Index

+4 more

Trial Design

3Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Group I: Perception-Action Physical TherapyExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

The therapy includes: activities of adequate intensity that promote gait adaptation and gait speed sustainment, exploratory activities that enhance the somatosensory experience through rich/novel movement, and optimally challenging activities that emphasize planning and problem solving that requires altering the leg kinematics to meet the environmental and task constraints. This includes a 15-minutes of sustaining and adapting gait speed while walking along a 40-meter hallway. Participants will alter their gait through exploratory movements. During the following 20 minutes participants will perform discrete problem solving activities including: waling backward sand stair negotiation.

Group II: High-Velocity Power TrainingExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

Training will consist of unilateral and bilateral leg presses (Total Gym GTS, San Diego CA), which will primarily target the quadriceps followed by the hip extensors and plantarflexors. Target load will be 40% to 80% of 1-repetition maximum (1RM) with progression toward 80%. Each participant will perform 3 to 5 sub-maximal efforts followed by 6 sets of 5 maximum-effort repetitions at the predetermined percentage of 1RM for each leg separately. Following the unilateral leg presses, 6 sets of 5 repetitions of bilateral leg presses will be performed at the predetermined percentage of 1RM. To minimize fatigue, 1-2 minutes of rest will be given between sets.

Group III: Body Weight Supported Treadmill TrainingExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

The child will walk on the treadmill for 35-minutes, while the body weight is supported with an overhead system at 30 percent of the child's body weight, reducing every other week by 10 percent until no support is provided during the final 2 weeks. Treadmill speed will be set at 90% of the child's over ground walking speed, gradually increasing each session. Speed adjustments depend on the child's ability to control their steps and achieve: activities that promote symmetry of the leg kinematics, activities that promote maintaining an upright lower limb posture and clearing the tow during the swing, and activities that promote pushing off with ankle at terminal stance.

Do I qualify?Apply below to find out

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

University of NebraskaLead Sponsor

536 Previous Clinical Trials

1,143,883 Total Patients Enrolled

3 Trials studying Cerebral Palsy

1,055 Patients Enrolled for Cerebral Palsy

Max J Kurz, PhDPrincipal InvestigatorUniversity of Nebraska

3 Previous Clinical Trials

216 Total Patients Enrolled

2 Trials studying Cerebral Palsy

184 Patients Enrolled for Cerebral Palsy

Frequently Asked Questions

These questions and answers are submitted by anonymous patients, and have not been verified by our internal team.

Who meets the prerequisites to participate in this research?

"This particular cerebral palsy trial is looking for 54 individuals aged 9-18 who are able to walk unassisted (GMFCS I-III) and have either sustained a brain injury around the time of birth or have been diagnosed with cerebral palsy."

Answered by AI

If a patient is over 20, do they still qualify for this experiment?

"In order for an individual to be eligible for this particular clinical trial, they must fall between the ages of 9 and 18. Out of the 159 clinical trials currently happening that involve patients under the age of 18, this is one of 28 trials for patients over the age of 65."

Answered by AI

Recent research and studies

clinicaltrials.govStudy

Mobility Exercises for Gait (MEG Neuroplasticity Project)

Max J. Kurz, PhD 2018. "Mobility Exercises for Gait (MEG Neuroplasticity Project)". ClinicalTrials.gov. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03555708.