Author: Melissa Y. Booth, Charlotte C. Yates, Terence S. Edgar, William D. Bandy
Source: Pediatric Physical Therapy. 2003; 15: 216-220
Lower leg casting has been used to increase ankle motion and improve walking in children with spastic cerebral pasly. Botulinum toxin type A (BtA) injections are used to decrease spasticity. This study considered whether the combination of casting and BtA injection resulted in a better outcome or decreased length of treatment. The data for this study were collected by a review of records of 30 children with spastic cerebral palsy. Fifteen children had received BtA seven to ten days before casting. The other 15 children had received casting but no BtA injection. The mean number of weeks required for the children to reach the goal of 20 degrees of ankle dorsiflexion (or a plateau - no additional change in motion for two weeks) was 1.95 for the casting plus injection group and 3.5 for the casting only group. The authors concluded that casting in conjunction with BtA injections may achieve goals for increased range of motion in less time than casting alone.
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