The Effect of Tactile Deficit on Motor Function in Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

Marmara University80 enrolled

Overview

Cerebral palsy(CP) is the most common cause of disability in childhood. The motor spectrum of disorders is characterized by abnormal muscle tone, posture, and movement. The motor disorders of CP are often accompanied by disturbances of sensation, perception, cognition and behavior. Besides classical appearance of symptomatology, tactile impairment takes an important place to be evaluated. Assessment of the integrity of tactile function composes of two main steps: tactile registration and tactile perception. Our main goal is the define the effect of tactile impairment on hand motor function with the usage of identical assessment tools in patients with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) and typically developed children (TDC).

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Tactile Perception

Interventions

Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test

Tactile function was evaluated mainly as tactile registration by using 20-item Semmes-Weinstein monofilament (SWM) kit. The monofilament was applied three times with a pseudorandom order to distal pad of the thumb, index, 4th and 5th digits (C6, C7 and C8 dermatomes). The lowest value of monofilament was recorded which the child was able to correctly identify at least one touch out of three

Box and Block TestDIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Box and Block Test (BBT) was used for dexterity assessment. The BBT measures unilateral gross manual dexterity. The child was asked to move, one by one, the maximum number of blocks from one compartment of a box to another of equal size within 60 seconds

9-Hole Peg TestDIAGNOSTIC_TEST

9-Hole Peg Test (9-HPT) is used to measure finger dexterity. Firstly, the child takes the pegs from a container, one by one, and place them in the holes on the board; then participant removes the pegs from the holes and replaces them back into the container. The total time taken to complete the test is recorded in seconds.

Duruöz Hand Index (DHI)DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Duruöz Hand Index (DHI) is an 18-item self-report questionnaire regarding ability to carry out manual tasks. Individual items are scored on a 6-point Likert scale where 0=without difficulty and 5=impossible. The total score ranges from 0-90 with higher scores indicating poorer hand function.

Jamar hand dynamometerDIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Hand grip strength was measured by using Jamar hydraulic hand dynamometer. Measurement was done with the participant in sitting position and the elbow at 90 degrees of flexion. The force has most commonly been measured in kilograms according to the amount of static force that the hand can squeeze around the dynamometer.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 5 YearsMax age: 15 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Ages between 5-15 years * Being evaluated as Class I-II-III in Gross Motor Function Classification System * Being evaluated as Class I-II-III in Manual Ability Classification System Exclusion Criteria: * Inability to understand and/or follow test instructions due to intellectual or behavioral difficulties * History of upper extremity botulinum toxin type A injection in the last three months, * Previous upper extremity orthopedic surgery * History of major trauma, and visual impairment

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Number of participants with tactile dysfunction in both groups

Comparison of the number of patients with tactile dysfunction according to the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test scores.