Effect of myofascial release as an adjunct to conventional therapy on quality of upper extremity function in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy: An experimental study

Abstract

Objective: To assess the additional effects of Myofascial Release (MFR) on gross motor and fine motor functions and on spasticity. Design: An Experimental Study Setting: Tertiary hospitals, private clinics/institutions. Subjects: 20 patients with hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy (CP) who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated to either experimental group (n=10) or the conventional group (n=10) Intervention: The experimental group received MFR along with Conventional treatment three times a week for 4 weeks. The conventional group received general exercise protocol for the same duration. Outcomes: The outcome measures were Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (QUEST) and Modified Tardieu Scale (MTS). Results: A total of 20 subjects completed the 4 weeks study program. Post treatment, there was a significant decrease in the values of the MTS in both the groups. There was a significant increase in the scores of the QUEST scale within both the groups; as well as significant change between the two groups. The QUEST’s Gross Motor and Fine motor Domains showed a significant improvement in the experimental group. There was a significant difference in the total QUEST score within the groups pre- treatment and post treatment. Conclusion: The study showed that MFR has an additional effect on quality of upper extremity function.