Abstract:

Objective To explore the effect of functional electrical stimulation (FES) rehabilitation cycling on lower limb motor function in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Methods From November, 2017 to December, 2020, 36 children with spastic hemiplegia in Beijing Bo'ai Hospital were randomly divided into control group (n = 18) and observation group (n = 18). The control group received routine rehabilitation training twice a day, and the observation group received FES rehabilitation cycling in addition, for eight weeks. Before and after treatment, the muscle tension of gastrocnemius and hamstring muscles on hemiplegic side was evaluated by modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), the change of walking speed was evaluated by 10-meter walking speed, the change of walking endurance was evaluated by 6-minute Walking Test, the walking function was evaluated by areas D and E of Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), and the energy consumption was evaluated by physiological cost index (PCI).Results Two cases dropped out in the observation group. After training, there was no significant difference in MAS score of gastrocnemius muscle in both groups (t < 1.145, P > 0.05), the MAS score of hamstring muscle significantly decreased in the observation group (t = 4.869, P < 0.001), and no significant change was found in the control group (t = 1.458, P > 0.05). After training, the 10-meter walking speed, 6-minute walking distance, the score of GMFM and PCI significantly improved in both groups (|t| > 6.241, P < 0.001), and were better in the observation group than in the control group (|t| > 2.097, P < 0.05).Conclusion FES rehabilitation cycling training can improve the lower limb motor function of children with spastic hemiplegia.

Key words: spastic cerebral palsy, functional electrical stimulation, rehabilitation cycling, lower limb, motor function