title: Description of a multifaceted rehabilitation program including overground gait training for a child with cerebral palsy: A case report.
abstract: This case describes the outcomes of a multifaceted rehabilitation program including body weight-supported overground gait training (BWSOGT) in a nonambulatory child with cerebral palsy (CP) and the impact of this treatment on the child's functional mobility. The patient is a nonambulatory 10-year-old female with CP who during an inpatient rehabilitation stay participated in direct, physical therapy 6 days per week for 5 weeks. Physical therapy interventions included stretching of her bilateral lower extremities, transfer training, bed mobility training, balance training, kinesiotaping, supported standing in a prone stander, two trials of partial weight-supported treadmill training, and for 4 weeks, three to five times per week, engaged in 30 minutes of BWSOGT using the Up n' go gait trainer, Lite Gait Walkable, and Rifton Pacer gait trainer. Following the multifaceted rehabilitation program, the patient demonstrated increased step initiation, increased weight bearing through bilateral lower extremities, improved bed mobility, and increased participation in transfers. The child's Gross Motor Functional Measure (GMFM) scores increased across four dimensions and her Physical Abilities and Mobility Scale (PAMS) increased significantly. This case report illustrates that a multifaceted rehabilitation program including BWSOGT was an effective intervention strategy to improve functional mobility in this nonambulatory child with CP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201-1082, USA. farrelle@kennedykrieger.org
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Farrell
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Naber
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Geigle
mesh_terms: D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D051341:Dependent Ambulation; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D009048:Motor Skills; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000295:instrumentation; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016474:Weight-Bearing