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Aim To compare the effects of a supported speed treadmill training exercise program (SSTTEP) with exercise on spasticity, strength, motor control, gait spatiotemporal parameters, gross motor skills, and physical function. Method Twenty-six children (14 males, 12 females; mean age 9y 6mo, SD 2y 2mo) with spastic cerebral palsy (CP; diplegia, n=12; triplegia, n=2; quadriplegia n=12; Gross Motor Function Classification System levels II–IV) were randomly assigned to the SSTTEP or exercise (strengthening) group. After a twice daily, 2-week induction, children continued the intervention at home 5 days a week for 10 weeks. Data collected at baseline, after 12-weeks’ intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention stopped included spasticity, motor control, and strength; gait spatiotemporal parameters; Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM); and Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI). Results Gait speed, cadence, and PODCI global scores improved, with no difference between groups. No significant changes were seen in spasticity, strength, motor control, GMFM scores, or PODCI transfers and mobility. Post-hoc testing showed that gains in gait speed and PODCI global scores were maintained in the SSTTEP group after withdrawal of the intervention. Interpretation Although our hypothesis that the SSTTEP group would have better outcomes was not supported, results are encouraging as children in both groups showed changes in function and gait. Only the SSTTEP group maintained gains after withdrawal of intervention.

Aim To determine whether there is a difference between perspectives of functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQL) of parents and ambulatory adolescents with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Method A total of 139 parent patient pairs (73 females, 66 males; median age 14y 6mo, age range 11–18y, Gross Motor Function Classification System [GMFCS] levels I–III, with hemiplegia [n=23], diplegia [n=103], triplegia [n=9], and quadriplegia [n=4]) were recruited from outpatient CP clinics at three pediatric orthopaedic hospitals, between 2000 and 2006, from whom Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) responses were collected. Results Cross-sectional data, calculated with intraclass correlation coefficients [ICC], showed parents and adolescents agreed more on functioning (ICC=0.488–0.748) than HRQL (ICC=0.242–0.568; PODCI). Parents and adolescents both recognized significant comorbidities (ICC=0.502–0.713), but adolescents saw themselves as less limited (ICC=0.330) than parents. The greatest differences between parents and adolescents were in HRQL scales for male adolescents, with only a small part explained by GMFCS level difference between sexes (effect size 0.002–0.143). Age, parent well-being, and parent sex had little effect and comorbidities had no effect. GMFCS level was the most common predictor. Interpretation Most scales on health conditions, function, and HRQL agreed between parents and adolescents aged11 to 18 years. Parent proxy is reasonable when necessary, but assessing both parents and adolescents gives additional insight. Adolescents do not consider themselves as limited by health conditions as parents do; parents have greater satisfaction with current level of symptoms than adolescents, and findings vary on expectations for treatment.

Purpose Although frequently used in pediatric rehabilitation settings, the WeeFIM has not been tested in surgical pediatric orthopaedic patients. Methods The WeeFIM was administered to patients with surgical cerebral palsy at defined intervals preoperatively and at both 6 and 12 months postoperatively. The age-adjusted change scores from baseline to follow-up were tested both parametrically and nonparametrically. Results Four hundred sixty-eight patients had baseline evaluations. There were 161 six-month follow-up assessments and 108 twelve-month follow-up assessments. The baseline WeeFIM was able to separate children with different patterns of cerebral palsy. Hemiplegic patients had higher scores than diplegic and tetraplegic patients. Overall age-adjusted scores were improved at both 6 (mean increase 2.0) and 12 months (mean increase 2.2). The instrument showed significant ceiling effects for diplegic and hemiplegic patients with lower or upper extremity surgery and limited responsiveness for lower extremity surgery in tetraplegic patients. Parametrically, it showed improvements in mobility for both rhizotomy and tetraplegic upper extremity surgery. Nonparametric tests were not significant for rhizotomy mobility improvement. Conclusions Although the WeeFIM adequately reflects the severity of neurological involvement in pediatric orthopaedic patients with cerebral palsy, it has a significant ceiling effect in diplegic and hemiplegic patients limiting responsiveness and lacks content validity for tetraplegic patients. The instrument may have some use in tetraplegic patients with upper extremity surgery and in rhizotomy patients. We recommend against its general use for orthopaedic surgery in patients with cerebral palsy lower extremity or spine surgery and in hemiplegic patients with upper extremity surgery.

Objective A multi-site Randomized-Controlled Trial compared a home-based Supported Speed Treadmill Training Exercise Program (SSTTEP) with a strengthening exercise program in children with cerebral palsy (CP) on the following categories; Participation, quality of life (QOL), self-concept, goal attainment, and satisfaction. Design Twenty-six children with spastic cerebral palsy were assigned by site-based block randomization to the SSTTEP (n=14) or strengthening exercise (n=12) group. Both groups participated in a two week clinic-based induction period and continued the intervention at home for ten weeks. Data were collected at baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and follow-up (16 weeks). Assessments included the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment Scale, Pediatric Quality of Life Cerebral Palsy Module, and Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. Evaluators were blinded to group assignment at two sites. Results Satisfaction and performance on individual goals, participation, and parent-reported QOL improved in both groups with improvement maintained for four weeks post intervention. Conclusion The hypothesis that the SSTTEP group would have better outcomes than the exercise group was not supported. However, both groups showed that children with CP can make gains in participation, individual goals, and satisfaction following a 12-week intensive exercise intervention, and these findings persisted for four weeks post intervention.

To compare the effects of a supported speed treadmill training exercise program (SSTTEP) with exercise on spasticity, strength, motor control, gait spatiotemporal parameters, gross motor skills, and physical function.Twenty-six children (14 males, 12 females; mean age 9y 6mo, SD 2y 2mo) with spastic cerebral palsy (CP; diplegia, n=12; triplegia, n=2; quadriplegia n=12; Gross Motor Function Classification System levels II-IV) were randomly assigned to the SSTTEP or exercise (strengthening) group. After a twice daily, 2-week induction, children continued the intervention at home 5 days a week for 10 weeks. Data collected at baseline, after 12-weeks' intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention stopped included spasticity, motor control, and strength; gait spatiotemporal parameters; Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM); and Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI).Gait speed, cadence, and PODCI global scores improved, with no difference between groups. No significant changes were seen in spasticity, strength, motor control, GMFM scores, or PODCI transfers and mobility. Post-hoc testing showed that gains in gait speed and PODCI global scores were maintained in the SSTTEP group after withdrawal of the intervention.Although our hypothesis that the SSTTEP group would have better outcomes was not supported, results are encouraging as children in both groups showed changes in function and gait. Only the SSTTEP group maintained gains after withdrawal of intervention.

Little data exists assessing the relationship between functional limitations in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and their participation in everyday activities. This prospective study evaluates the relationship between the Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI), a functional health-related quality of life instrument for children and their parents, and the School Function Assessment (SFA), a school-based functional assessment. One hundred and two children with CP (80.4% dipliegia; 10.8% hemiplegia; 3.9% triplegia; 2.0% quadriplegia; 2.9% unspecified; 60 males, 42 females, mean age 11 years 8 months (SD 3 y 3 mo, range 6-8 y), Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I to IV (13.7% Level I 50% Level II 35.3% Level III 1% Level IV), had complete PODCI and SFA assessments. Significant relationships were noted among multiple PODCI subscales and subscales of the SFA, as well as among individual questions. PODCI predicted performance in all 31 subscales of the SFA when comorbidity subscales were included (r =0.35-0.64). The PODCI in-clinic questionnaire provides an accurate reflection of the child's actual participation in the community setting, as assessed by the SFA. PODCI can reliably be used to help ensure that outcomes assessed in the clinic setting reflect function within the community, and can be used to help with treatment planning, goal setting, and improved patient care.

Background: Studies evaluating multilevel surgery to treat spastic deformity and functional deficits in cerebral palsy (CP) usually focus on data from instrumented gait analysis and clinical examination without examining functional and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes. Recently, outcome measures for well-being in children with a variety of musculoskeletal disorders have also been validated specifically for CP. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of multilevel surgery on the function and HRQOL in a group of ambulatory children with CP. Methods: In a multicenter prospective trial, 57 ambulatory children with CP, mean age 9.5 years, underwent multilevel soft tissue surgery to correct sagittal imbalance. Validated clinical outcome measures for HRQOL were administered preoperatively and postoperatively with an average follow-up time of 15.2 months. The functional and psychosocial components of the Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI), Pediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire (PedsQL), and the Functional Assessment Questionnaire Walking Score were used. Results: Significant improvements in outcome scores occurred postoperatively in the following: PedsQL parent-total (17.6%; P < 0.001) and parent-physical sections (25.0%; P < 0.001), the Functional Assessment Questionnaire Walking Score (15.3%; P < 0.001), and the PODCI sections for transfers and basic mobility (15.8%; P < 0.001), sports and physical function (23.9%; P = 0.012), and global (12.9%; P < 0.001). Improvements also occurred in the PedsQL child-total (8.4%; P = 0.104) and child-physical sections (8.6%; P = 0.189), but these were not statistically significant. There were no significant changes in the PODCI parent-derived pain (-3.2%; P = 0.504) and happiness sections (1.9%; P = 0.645). Conclusions: Multilevel surgery in ambulatory patients with CP improves function and HRQOL. However, improved functional well-being does not imply improved psychosocial well-being, and patients and their families should be counseled accordingly. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level II. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a significant association between function and well-being in children with cerebral palsy. To determine this, the authors used validated measures of function (Gillette Functional Assessment Questionnaire, Gross Motor Function Classification System, Gross Motor Function Measure, and walking speed) and correlated them to health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures (Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument, Pediatric Quality of Life instrument). In a cross-sectional study of ambulatory children with mild to moderate cerebral palsy aged 10.2 ± 3.2 years, mild to moderate decreases in function were found when compared with normative data. As the assessment of HRQOL comprises both functional well-being and psychosocial well-being, the authors decided to specify the aspect of well-being to which they were referring. It was found that the child's function was not correlated to psychosocial well-being. The children with mild cerebral palsy had greater effects on their psychosocial well-being than would be predicted by their functional disability. Functional measures were good at predicting the functional well-being but were weak at predicting the psychosocial arm of well-being.