Effects of the EXECP Intervention on Motor Function, Muscle Strength and Joint Flexibility in Individuals with Cerebral Palsy
Valadão, P., Cenni, F., Piitulainen, H., Avela, J., & Finni, T. (2024). Effects of the EXECP Intervention on Motor Function, Muscle Strength and Joint Flexibility in Individuals with Cerebral Palsy. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 56(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0000000000003273
Published in
Medicine and Science in Sports and ExerciseDate
2024Copyright
© 2023 the Authors
Purpose
Numerous exercise interventions to enhance motor function in cerebral palsy (CP) have been proposed, with varying degrees of effectiveness. Since motor function requires a combination of muscle strength, joint flexibility and motor coordination, we designed a supervised multicomponent exercise intervention (EXECP) for individuals with CP. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of the EXECP intervention and its retention after it ceased.
Methods
The EXECP intervention combined strength training for the lower limbs and trunk muscles, passive stretching for the lower limb muscles and inclined treadmill gait training. Eighteen participants with CP (mean age: 14, 13 males) were tested twice before the three-month intervention and twice after the intervention, each test separated by three months. Seventeen typically developing age and sex-matched controls were tested twice. Motor function was assessed with the six minutes walking test (6MWT) and the gross motor function measure (GMFM) dimensions D and E. Passive joint flexibility was measured with goniometry. Isometric and concentric muscle strength were assessed at the knee, ankle and trunk joints.
Results
The EXECP intervention successfully increased 6MWT (p < 0.001), GMFM (p = 0.004) and muscle strength for knee and trunk muscles (p < 0.05), although no changes were observed for ankle joint muscles. Hip and knee joint flexibility also increased (p < 0.05). After the retention period, all tested variables except the 6MWT and knee joint flexibility regressed and were not different from the pre-tests.
Conclusions
The improvements in strength, flexibility, and possibly motor coordination brought by the EXECP intervention were transferred to significant functional gains. The regression towards baseline after the intervention highlights that training must be a life-long decision for individuals with CP.
...
Publisher
Lippincott Williams & WilkinsISSN Search the Publication Forum
0195-9131Keywords
Publication in research information system
https://converis.jyu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/184168285
Metadata
Show full item recordCollections
- Liikuntatieteiden tiedekunta [3077]
Related funder(s)
Research Council of Finland; Cerebral Palsy Alliance; Ministry of Education and CultureFunding program(s)
Research profiles, AoF; Academy Research Fellow, AoF; Others; Research costs of Academy Research Fellow, AoFAdditional information about funding
This work was supported by the Olvi Foundation, Research Foundation of Cerebral Palsy Alliance (PHD00321), Finnish Cultural Foundation, University of Jyväskylä, Academy of Finland (grants #296240, #307250, #327288, #311877, #326988), including “Brain changes across the lifespan” profiling funding to University of Jyväskylä, Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation (#602.274) and Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM/28/626/2022). ...License
Related items
Showing items with similar title or keywords.
-
Exercise intervention protocol in children and young adults with cerebral palsy : the effects of strength, flexibility and gait training on physical performance, neuromuscular mechanisms and cardiometabolic risk factors (EXECP)
Valadão, Pedro; Piitulainen, Harri; Haapala, Eero A.; Parviainen, Tiina; Avela, Janne; Finni, Taija (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2021)Background Individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) have problems in everyday tasks such as walking and climbing stairs due to a combination of neuromuscular impairments such as spasticity, muscle weakness, reduced joint ... -
Improving gait in cerebral palsy : effects of a combined strength, flexibility and gait training Intervention on lower limb gait kinematics and kinetics in children and young adults with spastic cerebral palsy
Thamm, Antonia (2021)INTRODUCTION. Walking ability is a fundamental skill enabling participation and independence. For people with cerebral palsy (CP) gait can be impaired due to altered musculoskeletal development resulting from a lesion of ... -
Physical activity intention and attendance behaviour in Finnish youth with cerebral palsy : results from a physical activity intervention : an application of the theory of planned behaviour
Ruiz, Alfredo; Ng, Kwok; Rintala, Pauli; Kaseva, Kaisa; Finni, Taija (Korean Society of Exercise Rehabilitation, 2021)Physical activity is associated with better health in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). Numerous physical activity interventions have been designed to promote physical activity among youth with CP. No previous studies ... -
Functional connectivity of sensorimotor network is enhanced in spastic diplegic cerebral palsy : A multimodal study using fMRI and MEG
Vallinoja, Jaakko; Nurmi, Timo; Jaatela, Julia; Wens, Vincent; Bourguignon, Mathieu; Mäenpää, Helena; Piitulainen, Harri (Elsevier, 2024)Objective To assess the effects to functional connectivity (FC) caused by lesions related to spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (CP) in children and adolescents using multiple imaging modalities. Methods We used resting ... -
Wearable electromyography recordings during daily life activities in children with cerebral palsy
Michelsen, Josephine S.; Lund, Mai C.; Alkjær, Tine; Finni, Taija; Nielsen, Jens B.; Lorentzen, Jakob (Wiley-Blackwell, 2020)Aim To test whether wearable textile electromyography (EMG) recording systems may detect differences in muscle activity levels during daily activities between children with cerebral palsy (CP) and age‐matched typically ...