Discussion
This systematic review set out to determine which course of action regarding physical therapy is more effective in helping to improve the function of gait of children with CP. A systematic review is helpful in this case as it allows the practitioner to compare previous studies that were gathered to help reach the answer to the research question based on the specific exclusion and inclusion criteria. Determining which therapy option is more beneficial to improving gait is important because discovering new research will help to enhance better treatment options and therefore better outcomes for patients. Some limitations of the systematic review come from the process that was used to obtain the articles used in the review. These limitations …show more content…
All the studies gathered reveal that there is no one specific technique that is responsible for improving gait, when in fact it is a mixture of different techniques that are shown to be the most beneficial in the long run. The techniques that were examined and compared were strength training and balance training and which one would result in the long run with a better outcome in the gait of children. Children with CP tend to have abnormal ways of carrying themselves when walking, this is usually seen in a side to side swaying movement that involves the whole trunk (Wallard et al. 2014). This movement can cause a child to not be able to properly maintain the steady forward movement necessary when walking. Balance training can be used to give a child with CP direction on how to build and maintain proper postural balance so that they will then be able to transfer that to when they are walking so they are able to maintain a steady movement in their gait. Strength training, on the other hand, was shown to be beneficial because it helped build the muscles of the entirety of the leg. This is extremely beneficial when providing physical therapy for a child with CP because the formation of a strong and steady gait pattern is not fully dependent on one single muscle. A good gait is built from multiple different muscle groups working together to lead to a strong gait. For example, strong hip muscles can lead to an increase in strength in the ankles and feet, which then lead to a more powerful push off when walking, this therefore would create a much stronger and steadier gait pattern compared to a child with CP that would have not received supplemental strength training. Assistive technologies and surgeries are shown to be extremely beneficial to aiding a child
This systematic review set out to determine which course of action regarding physical therapy is more effective in helping to improve the function of gait of children with CP. A systematic review is helpful in this case as it allows the practitioner to compare previous studies that were gathered to help reach the answer to the research question based on the specific exclusion and inclusion criteria. Determining which therapy option is more beneficial to improving gait is important because discovering new research will help to enhance better treatment options and therefore better outcomes for patients. Some limitations of the systematic review come from the process that was used to obtain the articles used in the review. These limitations …show more content…
All the studies gathered reveal that there is no one specific technique that is responsible for improving gait, when in fact it is a mixture of different techniques that are shown to be the most beneficial in the long run. The techniques that were examined and compared were strength training and balance training and which one would result in the long run with a better outcome in the gait of children. Children with CP tend to have abnormal ways of carrying themselves when walking, this is usually seen in a side to side swaying movement that involves the whole trunk (Wallard et al. 2014). This movement can cause a child to not be able to properly maintain the steady forward movement necessary when walking. Balance training can be used to give a child with CP direction on how to build and maintain proper postural balance so that they will then be able to transfer that to when they are walking so they are able to maintain a steady movement in their gait. Strength training, on the other hand, was shown to be beneficial because it helped build the muscles of the entirety of the leg. This is extremely beneficial when providing physical therapy for a child with CP because the formation of a strong and steady gait pattern is not fully dependent on one single muscle. A good gait is built from multiple different muscle groups working together to lead to a strong gait. For example, strong hip muscles can lead to an increase in strength in the ankles and feet, which then lead to a more powerful push off when walking, this therefore would create a much stronger and steadier gait pattern compared to a child with CP that would have not received supplemental strength training. Assistive technologies and surgeries are shown to be extremely beneficial to aiding a child