Effect of hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy on fine-motor performance in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy

Abstract

Children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy have impairments in bimanual coordination above and beyond their unilateral impairments.
Aim of the study: The current study was conducted to examine the effect of hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy (HABIT) on the affected upper extremity use in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.
Subjects and procedures: Thirty hemiparetic children ranged in age from 3 to7 years with mild to moderate hand involvement participated in this study and they were divided equally into two groups (control and study). Children in the study group were engaged in play and functional activities that provided structured bimanual practice 3 h per day for 12 weeks, while children in the control group received traditional physical therapy program directed toward improving upper extremity use. Each child in the two groups was evaluated before and after the suggested treatment duration for detecting the level of hand performance using the Peabody Developmental Test of Motor Proficiency and hand grip strength by a hand held dynamometer.
Results: Children in both groups demonstrated improved scores on the Hand grip strength while only children in the study group showed significant improvement in fine-motor performance scores (p< 0.05).
Conclusion: The results suggest that, hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy appears to have a positive impact on hand function in children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy.

Keywords: Cerebral palsy; Hemiplegia; Hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy