MUSCLE RESPONSE TO HEAVY RESISTANCE EXERCISE IN CHILDREN WITH SPASTICCEREBRAL-PALSY

Fourteen ambulatory children with spastic diplegia participated in a b ilateral quadriceps strengthening program in an attempt to decrease th e amount of knee crouch during gait. Each chld exercised three times a week for six weeks using free ankle weights at a load of 65 per cent of maximum. A normal comparison group of 25 children was also tested u nder identical conditions. Children with cerebral palsy were significa ntly weaker in the quadriceps and hamstrings muscle groups than contro ls. Quadriceps strength increased significantly at all three angles of knee flexion as a result of the weight-training program and did not d iffer statistically from normal at the end of the program. Quadriceps weakness was shown to be a factor in crouch gait; restoring strength t hrough resistance exercise may be a useful adjunct in the treatment of cerebral palsy.