Effects of neurodevelopmental therapy program combined with vestibular training on balance in children with cerebral palsy

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of a neurodevelopmental physical therapy program combined with vestibular training on balance in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Twenty-eight children diagnosed with CP were included in the study in Private Sancaktepe Special Education and Rehabilitation Center. All participants were divided into two groups with simple randomization. While Group 1 (Study Group) was receiving the vestibular training along with the neurodevelopmental physical therapy, Group 2 (Control Group) participated only in neurodevelopmental physical therapy programs. Both groups continued physiotherapy programs throughout six weeks, a total of 12 sessions. The assessments were applied to children before and after the intervention. The level of the motor function was evaluated by Gross Motor Function Measure-88 (GMFM-88). Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) and Timed Up and Go Test (TUG) were used to evaluate the dynamic balance. Also, vestibular system assessment was conducted with Postrotary Nystagmus Test (PNT) before the intervention. According to the results of the present study, Group 1 showd statistically significant improvement for pre and post-intervention results in all tests (p<0.05). When comparing to pre and post-intervention results, there is a significant improvement in E dimension of GMFM-88 and PBS results in Group 2 (p<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in none of the assessments when the difference between pre and post-intervention results in intergroup variables is considered. Consequently, we could not find any positive effect of vestibular training combined with the neurodevelopmental physiotherapy on balance in children with CP. Key Words: vestibular training, neurodevelopmental treatment, balance, cerebral palsy