Sensory Walkway and Gait in Children With Diplegic Cerebral Palsy
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Conventional Physical Therapy Program, Sensory Walkway Training.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy. Basic parameters: 5 years — 7 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Egypt
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Effect of Sensory Walkway on Gait Parameters in Children With Diplegic Cerebral Palsy
Overview
This study aims to evaluate the effect of sensory walkway training on gait performance in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Participants will be assigned to a control group receiving conventional physical therapy or an intervention group receiving conventional therapy combined with sensory walkway training. The intervention will be conducted over a defined treatment period.
Detailed description
This study will be conducted after approval from the Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, and will follow the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent will be obtained from the parents of all participating children.
The intervention involves the use of a structured sensory walkway composed of eight wooden foot boxes filled with different textured materials, including polyester fiberfill, cut plastic straws, foam beads, and kinetic sand. This setup is designed to provide continuous multimodal tactile stimulation during gait training to enhance sensory-motor integration, postural control, and gait performance. Children in the intervention group will perform reciprocal gait training while interacting with the sensory surfaces, accompanied by verbal feedback to facilitate sensory awareness and motor engagement.
Both groups will receive a traditional physical therapy program including stretching exercises, quadruped and kneeling activities, balance training, stepper exercises, and gait training on various surfaces and equipment.
Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation), and statistical analysis will be performed using IBM SPSS software.
Interventions
- Behavioral Conventional Physical Therapy Program
Participants in the control group will receive a conventional physical therapy program including stretching exercises for lower limb muscles, strengthening exercises, balance training, and gait training. The program includes quadruped exercises, kneeling and half-kneeling positions, standing balance exercises using balance boards and beams, stepping exercises, and walking training using parallel bars and assistive devices. Each session lasts 60 minutes and will be conducted three times per week - Behavioral Sensory Walkway Training
Participants in the study group will receive conventional physical therapy in addition to gait training on a sensory walkway. The sensory walkway consists of a sequence of wooden foot boxes filled with different textured materials to provide tactile stimulation of the feet during walking. Corresponding hand sensory boxes are placed along parallel bars to provide simultaneous upper limb sensory input. This setup enables reciprocal sensory stimulation of upper and lower limbs during gait training.
Primary outcome measures
- Gait Speed [Time frame: 3 months]
Secondary outcome measures (3)
- Step Width [Time frame: 3 months]
- Cadence [Time frame: 3 months]
- Step Time [Time frame: 3 months]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Clinical diagnosis of spastic diplegic cerebral palsy
- Aged between 5 and 7 years
- Classified at level II on the Gross Motor Function Classification System
- Spasticity grade 1 or 1+ according to the Modified Ashworth Scale
- Able to walk independently or with an assistive device without physical assistance
- Able to follow verbal commands
- Abnormal gait pattern
Exclusion criteria
- Visual or auditory impairment
- History of lower limb surgery within the past 2 years
- Use of medications affecting muscle tone and/or cognitive function
- Contractures or fixed deformities in upper or lower limbs
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Non-randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Egypt · 1 center
- Outpatient Clinic, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University — Dokki
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07595744 · No:P.T.REC/012/006158