2023 Volume 2 Issue 1 Pages 35-44
Aim: The effect of the combination of stretching and the focal muscle vibration on the spastic gastrocnemius muscle on gross motor function in a child with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy was investigated using a single case study (ABAB design).
Methods: The participant was 2 years and 11 months old child with right spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy who had spasticity in the gastrocnemius muscles. The study design was a single-case ABAB design. Standard stretching (Phase A1 and A2) and standard continuous stretching combined with focal muscle vibration on the gastrocnemius muscle (Phase B1 and B2) were performed, and outcomes were compared after each phase. Each stretching session of Phase A (10 repetitions of 1 minute) and B (5 repetitions of 2 minutes) had a duration of 10 minutes per session. In both phases, task-oriented exercises were performed for the three motor tasks derived from the GMFM item map. Outcomes were ankle dorsiflexion range of motion in the knee extension position (ROM-DFKE), modified Tardieu scale (MTS) for the gastrocnemius muscle, and gross motor function measure {GMFM-66, item D (standing), item E (walking and running)}.
Results: The ROM-DFKE and R1 values (the angle at which resistance occurs when the ankle joint was rapidly dorsiflexed) of MTS improved only in the B phase. GMFM-66, Item D, and Item E scores were improved at the end of the study compared to the beginning. Those scores improved only after Phase B2 when compared to other Phases.
Conclusion: The stretching with focal muscle vibration may contribute to the improvement of gross motor function more than standard stretching.
