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Night splinting does not increase ankle range of motion in people with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: a randomised,
Kathryn M Refshauge1, Jacqueline Raymond, Garth Nicholson
1School of Physiotherapy, The University of Sydney, Lidcombe, NSW, Australia. k.refshauge@fhs.usyd.edu.au
Question:
What is the effect of wearing splints at night to stretch the plantarflexors on dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM) in people with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease?
Design:
Randomised, assessor-blinded, cross-over trial.
Participants:
14 people (1 dropout) aged 7 to 30 years with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease Type 1A and with < or = 15 degrees dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM).
Intervention:
A splint holding the ankle in maximum dorsiflexion was worn nightly on one leg for 6 weeks followed by the opposite leg for the subsequent 6 weeks.
Outcome Measures:
The primary outcome was dorsiflexion ROM; secondary outcomes were eversion ROM, and dorsiflexion, eversion, and inversion strength, measured before and after splinting, and three months later.
Results:
There was no significant difference between the experimental and the control intervention in terms of ROM or strength. Wearing the splint at night increased dorsiflexion ROM by 1 degree (95% CI -3 to 4; p = 0.72) and eversion ROM by 1 degree (95% CI -1 to 3; p = 0.28) compared to not wearing the splint. Wearing the splint increased dorsiflexion strength by 41 N (95% CI -53 to 135; p = 0.38), reduced eversion strength by 6 N (95% CI -112 to 101; p = 0.92) and reduced inversion strength by 8 N (95% CI -110 to 95; p = 0.88) compared to not wearing the splint.
Conclusion:
Wearing night splints does not increase ankle ROM or strength in people with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease Type 1A.
