title: Electrical stimulation improves gait in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Electrical stimulation (ES) of proximal muscles during gait training has not previously been reported as a management option for improving muscle tone and gait in spastic diplegic children.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of simultaneous continuous ES of both hip abductors and adductors during walking on muscle tone, knee alignment and gait characteristics in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (CP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Three groups of children participated in this project: the study group, consisting of 17 ambulant children with spastic diplegic CP; a control group of 15 ambulant children with spastic diplegic CP; and another control group, with 17 healthy children.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group underwent two different ES management programs. The first was a one-time trial management program that involved ongoing ES of bilateral hip adductor and abductor muscles at the sensory and motor levels, respectively, during walking for a predetermined distance. The second ES program lasted for one week and involved 15 minutes of ongoing ES of bilateral hip adductor and abductor muscles at the sensory and motor levels, respectively, during walking for three sessions a day for the week.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Marked improvement in gait performance (p < 0.001), muscle tone (p < 0.01) and knee position of the study group was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ES to the hip adductor and abductor muscles simultaneously at the sensor and motor levels, respectively, improved gait in spastic diplegic CP children.
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Sciences Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, PO Box 10219, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia. swahab@ksu.edu.sa
authors.forename: Sami Saleh
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Alabdulwahab
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006615:Hip / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors