The effect of circuit exercise training on the components of gross motor function in children with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a movement disorder that results from non-progressive motor injuries originating before, during, or immediately after birth. Exercise plays a significant role in motor improvement. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of circuit exercise training on the gross motor function of children with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy.

This clinical trial was performed on 34 cerebral palsy children, who were divided into two equal groups of 17 experimental (circuit training with one session per week of occupational therapy) and occupational therapy group.The GMFM-88 was used to evaluate gross motor function changes before and after 12 weeks of exercise. Circuit exercises training were performed three times a week for 12 weeks. These exercises were designed in three sets and each set consisted of 6 stations. The duration of activity and rest in each station was equal to 30 seconds.

The results of statistical tests showed that all components of gross motor function, in both exercise and occupational therapy group (except lying and rolling) significantly improved (P <0.05). However, in the intergroup comparison, a significant improvement was observed in gross motor function and its components in the circuit exercise training group compared to the occupational therapy group (p = 0.01).

The results of this study showed that circuit exercise trainings with occupational therapy can further improve the performance of gross motor movements in children with Spastic diplegia cerebral palsy compared to occupational therapy.