Effect of Trunk Exercises on Trunk control, Balance and Mobility Function in Children with Hemiparetic Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effect of trunk exercises in addition to conventional physiotherapy program on trunk control, balance and mobility function in children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy. Methods: Thirty spastic hemiparetic cerebral palsied children of both sexes (10-14 years, 16 girls and 14 boys) were included in this study. Children were randomly assigned into two equal groups: study and control groups. Both groups received a conventional physical therapy program. The study group additionally received trunk exercises which was provided 30 min/day, 3 days/week for 3 successive months. Participated children received baseline and post-treatment assessments using Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS), Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and dynamic gait index (DGI) to evaluate trunk control, balance and mobility function. Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in the mean values of all measured variables post-treatment with (p<0.05). The results also showed significantly better improvement in the scores of all measured parameters for the study group, as compared to the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Additional trunk exercises to conventional therapy had a beneficial effect in improving trunk control, balance and mobility function in children with spastic hemiparetic cerebral