Immediate Effects of Garment and Strapping System Orthosis on Balance and Gait in Children with Spastic Diplegia

Garment and Strapping System Orthosis

Abstract

TheraTogs, a therapeutic suit that is known to improve postural alignment, joint stability, and movement efficiency. However, few studies, on children with cerebral palsy have investigated the balance and gait. The purpose of the study is to investigate the immediate effects of TheraTogs used as orthoses on the balance and gait of children with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy. This study is cross-over design. A total of 24 children (aged 3–14 years) with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy participated. Balance and gait were analyzed using the force plate and GAITRite pre- versus post-TheraTogs use. Sway velocity, sway path, and sway area post-TheraTogs use significantly improved compared to pre-TheraTogs use (p < 0.05). Regarding spatiotemporal gait parameters, post-TheraTogs use, gait velocity, cadence, step length, stride length, single support time, and double support time significantly improved (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that TheraTogs could be utilized as a useful posture orthosis to help improve the balance and gait of children with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy. However, further high-quality studies are required to validate our findings.