Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy Including Lower Extremities in Preschoolers With Bilateral Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

What was studied

This study tested an intense therapy called HABIT-ILE. It trains the hands, arms and legs together. It took place in young kids with cerebral palsy on both sides of the body. The kids were aged 12 to 59 months. They came from 4 sites in Belgium, France and Italy. Kids were put into groups by chance. One group got 50 hours of HABIT-ILE over 2 weeks. The other group kept their usual movement activity and rehab for 2 weeks.

What they found

In total, 49 kids took part. The main test scored large body movements. After 3 months, this score rose more in the HABIT-ILE group. This group also did better on a test of using both hands. They gained more on a test of moving about in daily life. Ratings of how well kids did chosen tasks rose more. Satisfaction with that progress also rose more.

What it means for patients

The authors say early HABIT-ILE helped young kids with cerebral palsy on both sides. Gains were seen in both arm and leg movement at 3 months. The findings suggest it can improve large body movement in this age group.

Why it is not certain yet

The trial had 49 kids in total. Results were checked only up to 3 months. The abstract does not say how long gains last after that. Kids with severe sight or thinking problems were left out. So were kids with seizures that were not under control. The abstract does not report on side effects.

Source

Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy Including Lower Extremities in Preschoolers With Bilateral Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

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