Surface EMG Biofeedback for Children With Cerebral Palsy

February 22, 2024 updated by: Michelle Cullen, University of Southern California

Clinical Trial of Surface EMG Biofeedback for Children With Cerebral Palsy and Associated Movement Disorders

Movement disorders such as dystonia, hypertonia, and spasticity interfere with or prevent voluntary movement. Studies have suggested that using biofeedback to increase awareness of muscle activation can improve motor function in patients with motor deficits. The investigators hypothesize that the daily use of a surface electromyographic (SEMG) biofeedback device for one month will improve motor function in children and young adults with dystonia, hypertonia, and/or spasticity. The SEMG biofeedback device is worn over the muscle(s) the subject has difficulty in controlling and provides vibratory feedback about muscle activation. Groups of children and young adults (ages 3-21), with dystonia, hypertonia, and/or spasticity will be asked to wear a small (approx 1 square inch) sensory feedback device on their affected muscle(s) for 5 hours a day for one month. The device will vibrate and emit a blue light when the muscle is activated. At the start of the experiment, subjects will be tested on the Goal Attainment Scale (GAS), the Pediatric/Adolescent Outcomes Data Collections Instruments (PODCI), and the Barry Albright Dystonia Scale (BAD). For one month, subjects will practice goals without device. After a month, subject will be assessed again and be given device to practice goals for a month. After one month, the subjects will be tested on the outcome measures again and return device.

Study Overview

Study Type

Interventional

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • California
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90027
        • Children's Hospital of Los Angeles

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

No older than 21 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Cerebral palsy, or associated movement disorders such as dystonia, spasticity, and/or hypertonia
  • Able to wear device for given amount of time

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unable to wear device for at least 5 hours day for a month.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Surface EMG Biofeedback

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Goal Attainment Scale
Time Frame: Two months
The Goal Attainment Scale measures function in each of 5 areas that are individually chosen by the parents or adolescents at the initial visit. Parents and/or adolescents are encouraged to choose 2 basic movement goals and 3 goals related to function.
Two months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Terence Sanger, MD, PhD, University of Southern California

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

May 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 22, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

February 22, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 19, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 5, 2012

First Posted (Estimated)

September 10, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

February 26, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 22, 2024

Last Verified

February 1, 2024

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Cerebral Palsy

Clinical Trials on Sanger EMG Biofeedback Device

Subscribe