EFFECT OF PILATES ON MOVEMENT PATTERNS, BALANCE AND FATIGUE LEVEL IN CHILDREN WITH SPASTIC DIPLEGIC CEREBRAL PALSY

Authors : Aartı Gupta, Ashirwad Dass, Vinika Chaudhary, Pooja Bhati

Pages : 153-163

Doi:10.21653/tjpr.1377555

View : 84 | Download : 91

Publication Date : 2025-09-22

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Purpose: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) exhibit varying degrees of impairments that affect the patient’s mobility and ability to perform activities of daily living. It restricts the patient’s capacity to stay balanced and increase energy expenditure. Although the benefits of regular exercise for patients with CP are known, there is a need for more studies, which deal with the effects of different exercise approaches in them. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of Pilates on sit-to-stand (STS) movement patterns, balance and fatigue in ambulatory children with CP. Methods: Present study was a randomised controlled trial which was conducted at the Ved Special School, Sampoorna Special School, Abhyaas Special School in Delhi and the SGT Medical College Hospital and Research Institute in Gurugram, Haryana from October 2022 to March 2023. Thirty-two children (7-12 years) with spastic diplegic CP and Gross Motor Function Classification System I and II were randomly assigned into two groups. The study group underwent pilates and conventional treatment and the control group received conventional treatment alone. Images of the subjects’ STS movement pattern were shot from the side through a camera, and 15 items were used to assess the condition of the subjects’ extremities. Balance and fatigue were measured with Pediatric Balance Scale and Modified Borg Scale respectively at baseline, 4th week and 8th week. Results: Significant improvements were observed in STS movement pattern in the pilates group. Significantly, greater improvements were also observed for other variables such as balance and fatigue (p<0.001) in response to adding pilates exercise program to conventional treatment versus conventional treatment alone. Conclusion: Children with diplegic CP benefit more from pilates exercises in addition to conventional therapy when it comes to improving their functional movements and fatigue than from conventional therapy alone.
Keywords : Denge, Serebral palsi, Yorgunluk, Pilates, Spastisite

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