title: Effects on motor development of kicking and stepping exercise in preterm infants with periventricular brain injury: a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Preterm infants with periventricular brain injury (PBI) have a high incidence of atypical development and leg movements.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Determine whether kicking and treadmill stepping intervention beginning at 2 months corrected age (CA) in children with PBI improves motor function at 12 months CA when compared with control subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a multi-center pilot study for a controlled clinical trial, sixteen infants with PBI were randomly assigned to home exercise consisting of kicking and treadmill stepping or a no-training control condition. Development was assessed at 2, 4, 6, 10, and 12 months CA with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). At 12 months children were classified as normal, delayed, or with cerebral palsy (CP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 12 months CA 3 of 7 (43%) of the exercise group children walked alone or with one hand held versus 1 of 9 (11%) in the control group (p=0.262), but no significant differences in AIMS scores were found at any age. Half of the subjects had CP or delay; the outcomes of these infants were not improved by exercise. Compliance with the home program was lower than requested and may have affected results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although not statistically significant with a small sample size, self-produced kicking and treadmill exercise may lower age at walking in infants with normal development following PBI, but improvements of the protocol to increase and document compliance are needed before a larger study is implemented.
authors.affiliation: Center for Clinical and Translational Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. skc@uic.edu
authors.forename: Suzann K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gaebler-Spira
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zawacki
authors.forename: April
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Kara
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Boynewicz
authors.forename: Raye-Ann
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: deRegnier
authors.forename: Maxine M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: Rama
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bhat
authors.forename: Jinsheng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Rose
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Campise-Luther
authors.forename: Dipti
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kale
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bulanda
authors.forename: Xiaohong Joe
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D002657:Child Development; D026241:Exercise Movement Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D007969:Leukomalacia, Periventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods; D009048:Motor Skills; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016138:Walking