ABSTRACT
Objective To study the effect of scalp acupuncture plus facilitation technique on the temporal and spatial parameters of gait in spastic cerebral palsy. Method Thirty eligible patients with spastic cerebral palsy were randomized into a treatment group and a control group based on the inter-group balance in age, palsy type, and the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), 15 cases in each group. The treatment group was intervened by scalp acupuncture, together with the facilitation technique during the retaining of the needles; the control group was also by scalp acupuncture and facilitation techniques but with over 1 h interval between the two methods. The treatment was given once a day, totally for 3 months. The walking, running, and jumping items (E category) of the Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (GMFM-66), temporal and spatial parameters of gait, and vertical ground reaction force during stance were compared before and after the treatment. Result There were no significant inter-group differences in comparing the rates of E category of the GMFM-66 before the treatment (P>0.05), the rates were significantly changed after the treatment in both groups (P<0.05), and there were significant differences in comparing the rates between the two groups after the intervention (P<0.05);after the intervention, the step length, walking speed, and step frequency were increased significantly in both groups (P<0.05), while the double-stance phase was decreased significantly, and swing phase was increased significantly (P<0.05); after the intervention, the step length, walking speed, and step frequency of the treatment group were significantly better than that of the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Acupuncture plus facilitation technique can mitigate the spasticity in spastic cerebral palsy, improve the gross motor function, especially the function of standing and walking, enhance the activities, and benefit the improvement of the step length, step width, and walk speed.