Rehabilitation with a combination of scalp acupuncture and exercise therapy in spastic cerebral palsy

Abstract

PurposeTo use Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western approaches to improve gross motor function and activities of daily living (ADL) in children with spastic cerebral palsy. MethodsChildren were randomly divided into a treatment group, which received scalp acupuncture combined with exercise therapy and conventional rehabilitation training, and a control group, which received conventional rehabilitation training alone. Study subjects’ gross motor function (gross motor function measure-88 [GMFM-88]) and ADL were evaluated before and after therapy. ResultsGMFM-88 and ADL scores were significantly improved in both groups after therapy, but the within group differences in post- and pre-therapy GMFM-88 and ADL scores were significantly higher in the treatment group compared to the control group. ConclusionScalp acupuncture combined with exercise therapy and conventional rehabilitation training can significantly improve gross motor function and the ability to perform ADLs in children with spastic cerebral palsy compared to conventional rehabilitation training alone.