Gait Training Program With Blood Flow Restriction in Children With Cerebral Palsy - EMBRIN: Pilot Study

Recruiting now · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Cerebral Palsy

In brief

This is a single-center prospective experimental pilot study to assess the feasibility, tolerability and effect of a 10-week gait training program combined with simultaneous blood flow restriction (BFR) on the walking speed of children, aged 8 to 18, with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy. The children will receive a 10-week intervention (1 week of habituation without BFR + 9 weeks with BFR) comprising 3 30-minute treadmill sessions per week. At each session, the first 5 minutes will enable a gradual increase in speed, and then the maximum tolerated walking speed will be sought. Maximum speed corresponds to the walking speed maintained by the child for an effort of between 5 and 7 on Borg's 10-point VAS. The rehabilitator will encourage the child to maintain this speed and provide feedback on performance. The BFR setting will maintain an occlusion, at the root level of both lower limbs, of 60% of the total occlusal pressure. Children receiving the 10-week EMBRIN program are expected to improve their walking ability and muscular strength, two targets recognized as priorities for individuals with CP by the HAS. In this population, a major limitation of implementing rehabilitation programs is the large amount of practice required to bring about significant changes. This large amount of practice requires a major investment on the part of the individual, as well as significant rehabilitation resources. Muscle-strengthening programs are also particularly repetitive and therefore not very motivating for children. The EMBRIN program could reduce the training load and duration required to impact functional performance in children with CP. It could also help reduce the cost of rehabilitation interventions and reduce physical therapy time for individuals with CP in favor of their social participation.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT06533956

Run by

University Hospital, Angers

People needed

13

Starts

2024-10-31

Expected to finish

2026-10-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-16

Who can join

Age: 8 and older, up to 18. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Patients aged 8 to 18 with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy
• Patient with functional level II or III according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS)
• Patient able to assess pain with NRS-11
• Patient able to walk on a treadmill without body weight support, with or without technical aids
• Patient able to perform the 10-meter walk test
• No skin pathology at the pressure cuff application site (eczema, inflammatory scarring, etc.)
• Patient affiliated to or benefiting from a social security scheme
• Informed consent, dated and signed by parents or guardians (if a minor) or by the patient (if of age), to participate in the study;

You may not qualify if…

• Patients who have undergone surgical treatment or intramuscular injections of botulinum toxin in the lower limbs within the last 3 months
• Patients with a history of arterial hypertension, thrombo-embolic events, thrombophilia or cancer.
• Patient with insufficient understanding of the French language;
• Opposition of the patient (child or adolescent);
• Pregnant, breast-feeding or parturient women;
• Persons deprived of their liberty by judicial or administrative decision;
• Persons under compulsory psychiatric care;
• Persons under legal protection

Where it is running

• Les Capucins — Angers, France (enrolling)
• University Hospital, Angers — Angers, France

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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