EFFICACY OF POSTURAL CORRECTION SUIT ON GAIT PARAMETERS AND EXECUTIVE MOBILITY ACTIVITIES IN DIPLEGIC CHILDREN

Background: Spastic diplegic children walk with abnormal gait pattern, suit therapy used for treatment and rehabilitation of diplegic children as it improved gross motor development and corrected abnormal posture via its elastic strapping system, but there was no suit designed especially for postural correction. Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the efficacy of the postural correction suit on gait parameters and executive mobility activities in diplegic children. Materials and methods: Thirty ambulant spastic diplegic children, their age ranges from four to six years old participated in this study. They were randomly divided into two matched groups (control and study). The control group received a selected postural correction program includes, stretching exercises, strengthening exercises, balance exercises and posture and gait correction exercises, while the study group received the same selected postural correction program with the postural correction suit. All children received the treatment for two hours, three times weekly for three successive months. Kinematic gait parameter (hip, knee, and ankle joints angular displacement during mid stance phase) were evaluated by 3D gait analysis. Executive mobility activities at home were evaluated by MobQues28. Results: There was a significant improvement in all measured variables for both groups in favor of the study group. Conclusion: The postural correction suit through its elastic strapping system allows the child’s body to be aligned as close to normal as possible. This restoration of the posture and proper function of postural muscles allowed the patients to learn proper patterns of movement thus improving gait patterns and excutive mobility activities in diplegic children. Brief summary: postural correction suit used to treat crouch gait pattern of spastic diplegic children, kinematic gait parameters and executive nobilities activities were measured for both groups, the result showed significant improvement for postural correction suit.