Biofeedback therapy to achieve symmetrical gait in hemiplegic cerebral palsied children

To test the hypothesis that the gait pattern of hemiplegic children can be made more symmetrical by a program of biofeedback therapy, 4 hemiplegic cerebral palsied children aged between 7 and 11 years were provided with auditory feedback from load-sensitive insole inserted in the shoe on the hemiparetic side. By providing the child with feedback derived from the load being borne by his hemiparetic heel while walking and by encouraging him to increase that load, a significant improvement in symmetry of load bearing was achieved. For the 2 children for whom video records were taken there was a concomitant improvement in the symmetry of the temporal aspects of the gait cycle. These changes were maintained after treatment ended. It is suggested that this form of biofeedback therapy provides a significant addition to the armamentarium of physical therapies available for treatment of gait abnormalities in hemiplegic cerebral palsied children.