Myofascial Structural Integration: A Promising Complementary Therapy for Young Children With Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Increasing evidence suggests that structural changes within muscle and surrounding tissues are associated with creating and/or increasing muscle stiffness and resistance to stretch in spastic cerebral palsy. The goal of this preliminary study was to determine whether myofascial structural integration, a specific, complementary, deep-tissue manipulation technique designed to reorganize muscle and surrounding soft tissue, would improve motor function in young children with spastic cerebral palsy. In a randomized crossover design, the authors assessed motor function using established measurement techniques at baseline and after the treatment and control conditions in 8 children with spastic cerebral palsy, aged 2 to 7 years. The average change for the group after therapy was greater than the change after the control condition. Results showed that there were major improvements in 6 children after the therapy; 3 of the children also showed improvements after the control phase. Myofascial structural integration holds promise as a novel complementary treatment for spastic cerebral palsy.