live births), CP is a prevalent condition seen in the paediatric healthcare setting. live births worldwide and slightly less in western countries (e.g.
Clinicians can use this information when developing individualised treatment plans for children who have CP during shared decision-making consultations.Ĭerebral Palsy (CP) is classified as a group of postural and motor disorders caused by a non-progressive lesion to the developing brain, aquired before the age of two. Further research using stronger methodological study designs, is indicated to explore long-term effects of serial casting on functional lower limb outcomes such as gross motor function in children with CP. Lower limb serial casting, improves several outcomes relevant to lower limb function supporting its clinical use for improving DF PROM, reducing hypertonicity and improving gait in children with CP. Serial casting with pharmacological intervention achieved significantly more DF PROM than serial casting alone (MD − 3.19 degrees 95% CI − 5.76 to − 0.62 P = 0.01 I 2 = 0%), however the clinical importance of improving ankle DF PROM by an additional three degrees remains unclear. Serial casting with or without botulinum toxin type-A (BTX-A) did not significantly affect gross motor capacity measured by Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM). Serial casting was found to be effective for: Improving ankle dorsiflexion (DF) passive range of motion (PROM) in the immediate to short-term, decreasing hypertonicity measured by Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) in the short-term and, enhancing functional gait outcomes in the mid-term. Twenty-five articles from 3219 possible citations were included. A meta-synthesis and meta-analysis were undertaken when sufficient results were available showing the effect of serial casting on functional outcomes including: Ankle range of motion neurological measures of hypertonicity and spasticity, functional gait measures and gross motor function.
MethodsĪ systematic literature search was conducted in February 2019 across eight databases (PUBMED, EMBASE, CINAHL, PEDro, OTSeeker, Cochrane, Scopus and Proquest) using key terms ‘Cerebral Palsy’ and ‘serial casting’ and associated synonyms. This systematic review aimed to determine the effects of serial casting in isolation or combination with other therapies for the management of lower limb dysfunction in children with Cerebral Palsy (CP). Lower limb serial casting is commonly used therapeutically in paediatric clinical practice with some evidence to support its efficacy.