Hypertonia in Patients With Cerebral Palsy

Completed

Conditions studied: Cerebral Palsy, Muscle Hypertonia

In brief

This study will classify types of hypertonia in patients with cerebral palsy and determine if the classifications are reasonable in relation to the functional task of walking. Hypertonia is an abnormal increase in muscle tension. It is a common symptom of cerebral palsy that can lead to loss of function and deformity. This study may help scientists improve evaluation criteria for hypertonia and, ultimately, treatment results. Patients with cerebral palsy who are older than 6 years of age may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and clinical evaluation. Participants are asked to walk in the lab while cameras record their movement. During this test, subjects wear a t-shirt and shorts with their arms and legs wrapped with a soft, rubber-like material. A piece of firm material is attached to the rubber sleeves and small plastic reflective balls are attached to the firm material. Balls may also be attached to the skin, using an adhesive. With the balls in place, the subject walks several times while cameras record the positions of the balls. In addition, small metal electrodes attached to the skin with an adhesive measure the electrical activity in the muscles. After the walking test is completed, subjects' leg muscle strength is measured with a special device while they perform three activities. First, they sit on a special chair with their leg and foot placed in an apparatus that measures their strength, then lie on their back, then on their stomach, and then stand on one foot holding a bar to balance during part of one activity. During the activities, their reflexes are tested, they are asked to move their legs, and their legs are moved for them.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00123708

Run by

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

People needed

100

Starts

2005-07-19

Last updated by the study team

2017-07-02

Who can join

Age: 6 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may not qualify if…

• Inability of the patient to follow the instructions to accomplish the task.
• Structural deformities at the level of a knee joint.
• If patients are unable to complete all the tasks or conditions they can still be enrolled to complete part of the study.

Where it is running

• National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike — Bethesda, Maryland, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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