Effect of Eight-Week Combined Strength-Balance Training on Muscle Strength, Balance and Quality of Life in Children with Monoplegic Cerebral Palsy

Introduction: Cerebral palsy is the most common sensory-motor disorder that causes movement restriction and reducing social participation in children. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of eight-week combined strength-balance training on muscle strength, balance, and quality of life in children with monoplegic cerebral palsy. Methods: The present study was quasi-experimental and was conducted as a pretest-posttest with a control group. Sixteen boys, with the average age (13.48 ± 1.41 years) and with monoplegia cerebral palsy, were voluntarily selected and randomly divided into equal experimental (N = 8) and control (N = 8) groups. Participants in the experimental group participated in a combined strength and balance training program (3 days per week, for eight weeks). In contrast, those in the control group did not participate in an exercise program. Muscle strength, static balance, and quality of life were assessed before and after the exercise protocol. Data were analyzed using pair t and independent t-tests at a significance level of 0.05. Results: After the 8-week training, a strength of the superior and affected hand, static balance, and quality of life, participants in the experimental group had significant improvement over their baseline values (P < 0.001). The range of changes in all studied variables in the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group (P < 0.01). Conclusions: Combining exercise training can improve muscle strength, balance, and quality of life in children with monoplegia cerebral palsy. However, a definite statement in this regard is required to further investigation.