Stretching programme for ambulant children with cerebral palsy (SPELL)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Clinical effectiveness of a child-specific dynamic stretching programme, compared to usual care, for ambulant children with spastic cerebral palsy (SPELL trial): a parallel group randomised controlled trial.
IRAS ID
326645
Contact name
Tim Theologis
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research Governance, Ethics and Assurance Team
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
OCTRU381, Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) Reference
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 2 months, 0 days
Research summary
Cerebral palsy (CP) is caused when babies suffer brain injury from lack of oxygen in the brain. Children with CP often develop stiff muscles. They often have difficulty walking and moving and that makes it difficult for them to join in many different activities. Exercises prescribed by Physiotherapists become a big part of their lives and aims to train their muscles, stop them from becoming stiff and help children participate in activities. It is possible that a programme of exercises to stretch their leg muscles could prevent stiffness and help them remain more active. We are not certain that children with CP truly benefit from the time and effort they dedicate to doing these exercises. We are also not sure if this exercise might cause them too much discomfort/muscle soreness to be able to carry it out long-term. The aim of this study is to assess if an exercise programme to stretch the muscles of children with CP is better than usual NHS physiotherapy treatment. We have developed an exercise programme using stretching exercises for the leg muscles in children with CP. We will recruit children with CP with help from the established NHS network of physiotherapists who monitor and treat young people with CP in the community (CPIP). A computer will decide which half of the recruited children will receive the new exercise programme. The other half will be offered physiotherapist advice on continuing their standard NHS care. The stretching exercise programme will last 4 months. At 6 and 12 months we will ask participants with their parent(s)/carer to complete a questionnaire about their walking and ability to carry out daily activities. We hope the results produced will be adopted widely by health professionals and help policy makers develop national guidelines for physiotherapy treatment of children with CP.
REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/EE/0153
Date of REC Opinion
12 Jul 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion