Author: Berit Ekblom and Ulla Myhr
Source: Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 2002 Vol.18, No. 2, pp 55-63.
Children with severe spastic cerebral palsy often have spasticity (muscle tightness) in the legs that causes them to pull their legs together, sometimes called ?scissoring?. Severe scissoring can interfere with standing, walking, and sitting balance. Sometimes, one leg pushes harder than the other and causes an uneven position of the legs called a ?wind-blown? effect or wind-blown deformity. It can also sometimes cause dislocation of the hip and pain. To prevent deformity and to improve the child?s ability to balance in sitting, a hip abduction orthosis (brace) is sometime suggested to keep the legs apart. This orthosis has two wide soft bands that wrap around the thighs. The bands are separated by a bar or sometimes with a spring.
The purpose of this study was to see if the use of a hip abduction orthosis affected the activity of the leg and back muscles when sitting. Five children with spastic cerebral palsy were compared to five typically developing children. The children were between three and eight years of age. Both groups of children were tested while sitting with and without the orthosis and during play activities using their hands. There was no difference in muscle activity with or without the orthosis. The authors concluded that if a functional sitting position can be achieved without the brace, there is no further advantage to using the brace for improving function in sitting.
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