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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Winter;27(4):403-12.
doi: 10.1097/PEP.0000000000000173.

Behavior During Tethered Kicking in Infants With Periventricular Brain Injury

Suzann K Campbell  1 , Whitney Cole, Kara Boynewicz, Laura A Zawacki, April Clark, Deborah Gaebler-Spira, Raye-Ann deRegnier, Maxine M Kuroda, Dipti Kale, Michele Bulanda, Sangeetha Madhavan
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Behavior During Tethered Kicking in Infants With Periventricular Brain Injury

Suzann K Campbell et al. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2015 Winter.

Abstract

Purpose: To describe behavior of children with periventricular brain injury (PBI) in a tethered-kicking intervention.

Methods: Sixteen infants with PBI were randomly assigned to exercise or no-training in a longitudinal pilot study. Frequencies of leg movements and interlimb coordination were described from videos at 2 and 4 months' corrected age (CA).

Results: Eight of the 13 children (62%) with longitudinal data increased the frequency of leg movements while tethered to a mobile between 2 and 4 months' CA. Movement frequency was correlated with scores on the Test of Infant Motor Performance, but no differences between experimental groups were found. Children with typical development at 12 months' CA increased the proportion of leg movements that were synchronous between 2 and 4 months, as did a child with cerebral palsy in the experimental group.

Conclusions: The tethered-kicking intervention facilitates movement in infants with PBI, but effects on development remain to be demonstrated.

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Conflict of interest statement

Statement of Interests: Suzann K. Campbell is the Managing Partner of Infant Motor Performance Scales, LLC (IMPS), the publisher of the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP). Laura Zawacki teaches workshops on the TIMP for IMPS. For the remaining authors, no conflict of interest was declared.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The Exercise. The mobile (sound and movement deactivated) is attached to a wooden stand that slides under the infant bath seat in which the child is seated. Tethers are attached to each of the infant’s ankles with adjustable Velcro straps. A noise-making toy hangs from the mobile to provide both visual and auditory feedback when the infant kicks.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Average Proportion of Time With Head in Midline by Age, Outcome, and Group Assignment.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Longitudinal Change in Total Leg Movement Frequency of Individual Children by Age, Outcome, and Group Assignment. CP, cerebral palsy. Numbers in the graph correspond with subject numbers in Table 1.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Inter-limb Coordination Patterns by Age, Outcome, and Group Assignment: Proportions of Right Hip Flexion Movements That Were Ipsilateral, Alternate and Synchronous. CP, cerebral palsy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

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