The Effect of An Isometric Trunk Training During Spinning in a Child With Cerebral Palsy: A Case Report

Objective: There is limited evidence to fully justify a constant speed whole body spinning intervention for children with cerebral palsy to improve trunk stability and gross motor function. The purpose of this case report is to investigate the impact of an isometric trunk training during use of the Allcore 360 seated core muscle trainer on functional abilities and independence in a child with cerebral palsy.

Participant and Method: An 11-year-old girl with cerebral palsy classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level V participated in an isometric trunk training with constant speed twice per week for 14-weeks. Assessments were performed at baseline, 7 weeks and 14 weeks of intervention using the Gross Motor Function Measure-88 (Dimensions A & B), Modified Functional Reach test, sitting posture in the wheelchair and response to trunk perturbation.

Results: Following the constant speed spinning intervention, improvements were found in trunk control, lower extremity coordination and sitting posture, as well as increases in GMFM-88 and Modified Functional Reach Test Scores. Positive outcomes from the spinning training were obtained beyond improvements in trunk stability, since improvements in functional motor performance were also achieved.

Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the constant speed spinning intervention have been effective for improving trunk stability and physical performance in this child. However, further investigation should be needed to quantify and verify the positive result of the experiment in a larger population.