Semicircular canal stimulation in cerebral palsied children.
Twelve cerebral palsied children were exposed to 16 sessions of horizontal and vertical semicircular canal stimulation over a four-week period in order to determine the effectiveness of this form of stimulation as a therapeutic procedure. A control group of 11 cerebral palsied children was included. A quantitative evaluation of a series of reflexes and of gross motor skills showed a highly significant degree of improvement following the four weeks of treatment. A qualitative evaluation of each subject corroborated these findings and suggested improvements in fine motor control and in social/emotional behavior. A possible central nervous system mechanism underlying the improvement in motor skills is discussed.
D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006234:Handling, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D011187:Posture; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology; D012665:Semicircular Canals / Q000502:physiology*