ON-LAND COMMUNITY-BASED AEROBIC AND STRENGTH TRAINING PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY

Abstract

Research has been conducted on the effects of strength training for children with cerebral palsy but there are large gaps in our understanding of the nature of aerobic limitations and the effects of exercise interventions on function. There is also a paucity of research on the effects of combined interventions involving both strength and aerobic training. For these reasons this study was pursued with the question being what effects, specific to energy expenditure, muscle strength, and perceived satisfaction and perceived performance of a functional motor goal resulted from a community exercise program using both aerobic and anaerobic components for children with cerebral palsy. Six 8-12 year old children with ambulatory cerebral palsy (able to walk independently >25 meters) participated in four separate ten-week, three-times-per-week exercise and fitness activity programs. All six children demonstrated improvements in energy expenditure and perceived satisfaction while scores were variable for muscle strength. These results offer support for future investigation to explore the potential for aerobic and strength training interventions for children with cerebral palsy.