Muscle strength enhancement following home-based virtual cycling training in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy.
A 12-week home game-bike program makes knee muscles stronger in kids with CP, even if walking tests stay the same.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Kids with cerebral palsy pedaled a game bike at home for 12 weeks. The bike linked to a TV and gave points for speed.
Researchers split kids into two groups. One group got the bike. The other group kept their usual routine.
What they found
The bike kids grew stronger knee muscles. Flexor muscles gained the most power.
Gross motor test scores did not move. Strength went up, but walking tests stayed flat.
How this fits with other research
Cheng et al. (2015) saw a match. They used whole-body vibration at home for eight weeks. Both studies show simple home tools can boost leg function in CP.
Capio et al. (2013) seem to disagree. They found kids with DCD had slower knee flexor torque. The key gap is diagnosis. CP kids gained speed and power, DCD kids did not. Different brains, different results.
Bonney et al. (2017) add a twist. They tested practice style inside video games and found no bonus for mixing tasks. Repetition worked fine, just like the steady cycling here.
Why it matters
You can send a cheap game bike home and know strength will rise. Use it as a bridge while you work on gait in clinic. Track torque with a hand-held dynamometer to show parents clear numbers even if GMFM scores stall.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study is the first well-designed randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of a novel home-based virtual cycling training (hVCT) program for improving muscle strength in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Twenty-eight ambulatory children with spastic CP aged 6-12 years were randomly assigned to an hVCT group (n=13) or a control group (n=15). Outcome measures, including gross motor function of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP) and muscle strength (isokinetic torque of knee extensor and flexor muscle), were administered before and immediately after the 12-week intervention. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) at post-treatment showed that, compared to the control group, the hVCT group had significantly higher isokinetic torque in the knee extensor and flexor muscles at 60°/s and 120°/s angular velocities (p<0.05). At post-treatment, the hVCT group also showed greater isokinetic strength improvement in the knee flexor than in the knee extensor at 60°/s (knee flexor: 41%; knee extensor: 19%) and at 120°/s (knee flexor: 36%; knee extensor: 30%). However, the BOTMP scores at post-treatment did not differ between the two groups. Although the proposed 12-week hVCT protocol does not improve gross motor function, it enhances knee muscle strength in children with CP. The protocol obtains larger gains in the knee flexor than in the knee extensor at different angular velocities. The study findings will help clinicians to provide more effective and efficient strategies for muscle strength training in children with CP.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2012.01.017