Whole body vibration combined with botulinum neurotoxin A injection in the treatment of spastic diplegic cerebral palsy / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the effect of combining whole body vibration with botulinum neurotoxin A injections on tiptoe and the gross motor function of children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Methods Sixty spastic diplegic children with tipped foot aged between 2 to 5 were equally divided into a control group and an ex-perimental group randomly. The control group received 3 IU/kg botulinum neurotoxin A injections to the medial and lateral heads of the gastrocnemius muscle. Then 5 daily courses of conventional training were administered 5 days a week for 3 weeks beginning 24 hours after the injections. The experimental group additionally received 2min of whole body vibration 3 or 4 times per day with one-minute rests, 5 days per week for 5 weeks. All of the children were assessed before the experiment and 1, 3 and 6 months later using the modified Tardieu scale ( MTS) and the R1 and R2 ankle and dimensions D and E of the gross motor function measurement scale ( GMFM-88) . Results There were no significant differences between the two groups before the treatment. Afterward, the average MTS, R1, R2 and GMFM-88 scores of both groups were significantly improved. The average MTS, R1 and R2 scores of the experimental group after treatment were significantly better than the control group' s averages. The average GMFM-88 score of the experimental group was not significantly different from that of the control group after 1 month, but after 3 and 6 months significant differences emerged. Conclusion Whole body vibration improves the effectiveness of botulinum neurotoxin A injections in relieving tiptoe and improving the gross motor function of chil-dren with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.