Sensory Walkway and Gait in Children With Diplegic Cerebral Palsy (SWGCP)

Effect of Sensory Walkway on Gait Parameters in Children With Diplegic Cerebral Palsy

This study aims to evaluate the effect of sensory walkway training on gait performance in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Participants will be assigned to a control group receiving conventional physical therapy or an intervention group receiving conventional therapy combined with sensory walkway training. The intervention will be conducted over a defined treatment period.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Conventional Physical Therapy Program; Behavioral: Sensory Walkway Training

Detailed Description

This study will be conducted after approval from the Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, and will follow the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent will be obtained from the parents of all participating children.

The intervention involves the use of a structured sensory walkway composed of eight wooden foot boxes filled with different textured materials, including polyester fiberfill, cut plastic straws, foam beads, and kinetic sand. This setup is designed to provide continuous multimodal tactile stimulation during gait training to enhance sensory-motor integration, postural control, and gait performance. Children in the intervention group will perform reciprocal gait training while interacting with the sensory surfaces, accompanied by verbal feedback to facilitate sensory awareness and motor engagement.

Both groups will receive a traditional physical therapy program including stretching exercises, quadruped and kneeling activities, balance training, stepper exercises, and gait training on various surfaces and equipment.

Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation), and statistical analysis will be performed using IBM SPSS software.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 44
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Shaymaa Rushdy Mahmoud, lecturer; Phone Number: 0201145050053; Email: shaymaa.rushdy@pt.cu.edu.eg

Study Locations

• Egypt
  • Giza Governorate
    • Dokki, Giza Governorate, Egypt
      • Recruiting
      • Outpatient Clinic, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University
      • Contact: Shaymaa Rushdy Mahmoud, lecturer; Phone Number: 0201145050053; Email: shaymaa.rushdy@pt.cu.edu.eg
      • Sub-Investigator: Shaymaa Rushdy Mahmoud, Lecturer of Physical Therapy

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Clinical diagnosis of spastic diplegic cerebral palsy
• Aged between 5 and 7 years
• Classified at level II on the Gross Motor Function Classification System
• Spasticity grade 1 or 1+ according to the Modified Ashworth Scale
• Able to walk independently or with an assistive device without physical assistance
• Able to follow verbal commands
• Abnormal gait pattern

Exclusion Criteria:

• Visual or auditory impairment
• History of lower limb surgery within the past 2 years
• Use of medications affecting muscle tone and/or cognitive function
• Contractures or fixed deformities in upper or lower limbs

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Control Group - Conventional Physical Therapy; Participants in the control group will receive a conventional physical therapy program including stretching exercises for lower limb muscles, strengthening exercises, balance training, and gait training. The program includes quadruped exercises, kneeling and half-kneeling positions, standing balance exercises using balance boards and beams, stepping exercises, and walking training using parallel bars and assistive devices. Each session lasts 60 minutes and will be conducted three times per week for three consecutive months.	Behavioral: Conventional Physical Therapy Program; Participants in the control group will receive a conventional physical therapy program including stretching exercises for lower limb muscles, strengthening exercises, balance training, and gait training. The program includes quadruped exercises, kneeling and half-kneeling positions, standing balance exercises using balance boards and beams, stepping exercises, and walking training using parallel bars and assistive devices. Each session lasts 60 minutes and will be conducted three times per week for three consecutive months.
Experimental: Study Group - Conventional Physical Therapy plus Sensory Walkway Training; Participants in the study group will receive conventional physical therapy including stretching, strengthening, balance exercises, and gait training. In addition, they will undergo gait training on a sensory walkway consisting of wooden foot boxes filled with different textured materials to provide tactile stimulation. Corresponding hand sensory boxes are placed along parallel bars to provide simultaneous upper limb sensory input. Children will walk through the walkway while immersing their feet and hands in the textured materials and are encouraged to identify and describe textures to enhance sensory awareness. The intervention aims to improve sensory-motor integration, postural control, balance, and gait parameters in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Each session lasts 60 minutes and is performed three times per week for three months.	Behavioral: Conventional Physical Therapy Program; Participants in the control group will receive a conventional physical therapy program including stretching exercises for lower limb muscles, strengthening exercises, balance training, and gait training. The program includes quadruped exercises, kneeling and half-kneeling positions, standing balance exercises using balance boards and beams, stepping exercises, and walking training using parallel bars and assistive devices. Each session lasts 60 minutes and will be conducted three times per week for three consecutive months.; Behavioral: Sensory Walkway Training; Participants in the study group will receive conventional physical therapy in addition to gait training on a sensory walkway. The sensory walkway consists of a sequence of wooden foot boxes filled with different textured materials to provide tactile stimulation of the feet during walking. Corresponding hand sensory boxes are placed along parallel bars to provide simultaneous upper limb sensory input. This setup enables reciprocal sensory stimulation of upper and lower limbs during gait training. Children will walk through the walkway in a controlled manner while immersing their feet and hands in the textured materials and are encouraged to identify and describe the textures to enhance sensory awareness. The intervention aims to improve sensory-motor integration, postural control, balance, and gait parameters in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Each session lasts 60 minutes and is performed three times per week for three months.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Gait Speed	Gait speed (m/s) will be assessed using the 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT). Participants will walk a 10-meter distance at a self-selected comfortable walking speed. Time recorded during the test will be used only to calculate gait speed.	3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Step Width	Step width (cm) will be assessed using Kinovea software based on video recordings.	3 months
Cadence	Cadence (steps/min) will be calculated using gait cycle analysis from Kinovea software	3 months
Step Time	Step time (seconds) will be analyzed using Kinovea software based on video-based gait cycle timing.	3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Cairo University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 8, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 15, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 19, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 15, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Cerebral Palsy; Gait Parameters; Spastic Diplegic; Sensory Walkway
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Brain Damage, Chronic; Cerebral Palsy
• Other Study ID Numbers: No:P.T.REC/012/006158

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data will not be shared to protect participants' privacy and confidentiality. The data collected in this study will be used for research purposes only and will not be publicly available.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No