Functional taping applied to upper limb of children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy: a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Rehabilitation
• Neurology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) often involves upper limb spasticity and weakness.
• Conventional physical therapy aims to improve motor function in children with CP.
• Functional taping is a potential adjunct therapy to enhance motor control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of functional taping as an adjunct to physical therapy for improving upper limb function in children with hemiplegic CP.
• To assess the impact of taping on motor schema development and correction.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 16 young children with CP (mean age 3 years).
• Intervention included periods of functional taping combined with physical therapy, interspersed with a period of physical therapy alone (taping wash-out).
• The Melbourne assessment score was used to measure upper limb function changes over different treatment phases.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in the Melbourne assessment score were observed during the taping periods (+15.4% and +8.4%).
• No significant improvement was noted during the taping wash-out period (-4.6%).
• Improvements were statistically significant (p<0.001 and p=0.012) during taping phases.

Conclusions:

• Functional taping, when combined with physical therapy, appears beneficial for children with hemiplegic CP.
• Continuous application of taping may help limit the development of abnormal motor patterns and promote proper upper limb motor schemas.
• Further research with larger cohorts is warranted to confirm these findings.