Evaluating interventions to improve gait in cerebral palsy: a meta-analysis of spatiotemporal measures

A number of interventions to improve gait in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) have been reported in the literature. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of these studies to determine the overall efficacy of these interventions. Effect sizes (Hedge's g) for spatiotemporal measures of gait (velocity, cadence, stride length) pre- and postintervention were analyzed. Sixty-three studies were included, and the overall effect size was statistically significant for both fixed effects and random models. Types of interventions were grouped into spasticity treatments, orthopedic (bony and soft tissue) surgery, lower extremity orthoses, or 'other'. When the data were analyzed in subgroups by type of intervention, each intervention had a statistically significant effect size with the exception of the 'other'. More importantly, the present study indicates the need to address participant inclusion criteria and power analysis more adequately in future research studies of interventions to improve gait in CP.