A Study on Physical Exercise and General Mobility in People with Cerebral Palsy: Health through Costless Routines

Abstract

Sedentary behavior (SB) is a common problem that may produce health issues in people with cerebral palsy (CP). When added to a progressive reduction in motor functions over time, SB can lead to higher percentages of body fat, muscle stiffness and associated health issues in this population. Regular physical activity (RPA) may prevent the loss of motor skills and reduce health risks. In this work, we analyzed data collected from 40 people (20 children and teenagers, and 20 adults) who attend two specialist centers in Seville to obtain an up-to-date picture regarding the practice of RPA in people with CP. Roughly 60% of the participants showed mostly mid/severe mobility difficulties, while 38% also had communicative issues. Most of the participants performed light-intensity physical activity (PA) at least once or twice a week and, in the majority of cases, had a neutral or positive attitude to exercising. In the Asociación Sevillana de Parálisis Cerebral (ASPACE) sample test, the higher the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), the higher the percentage of negative responses to doing exercise. Conversely, in the Centro Específico de Educación Especial Mercedes Sanromá (CEEEMS), people likes PA but slightly higher ratios of positive responses were found at Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels V and II, agreeing with the higher personal engagement of people at those levels. We have also performed a literature review regarding RPA in CP and the use of low-cost equipment. As a conclusion, we found that RPA produces enormous benefits for health and motor functions, whatever its intensity and duration. Costless activities such as walking, running or playing sports; exercises requiring low-cost equipment such as elastic bands, certain smartwatches or video-games; or therapies with animals, among many others, have all demonstrated their suitability for such a purpose.

Physical Activity in Cerebral Palsy: A Current State Study

“…Exercise programs should be tailored to the individual’s mobility capabilities. There exists a diverse array of activities that have demonstrated their health and fitness benefits, including walking (both freely and on an elliptical or treadmill), cycling, employing a feet ergometer, utilizing elastic bands, participating in sports such as swimming or hockey, engaging in video-game activities, and interacting with animals [ 35 ]. However, many of these options are not viable for individuals with severe motor disabilities, such as those classified at level IV and V in the GMFCS, who primarily spend extended periods in a seated position [ 36 ].…”

Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability and validation of the Gillette Functional Assessment Questionnaire (FAQ) into Brazilian Portuguese in patients with cerebral palsy

“…The FAQ and FMS measure similar mobility-related constructs. However, this construct is broad and influenced by several aspects, whether intrinsic (such as the degree of spasticity) or extrinsic (such as environmental barriers) [ 27 ]. Thus, there are nuances that differentiate the two instruments: a patient can improve or worsen the mobility and remain at the same FMS score by continuing to use the same mobility aid device, while the FAQ is more sensitive to capture differences for having higher degrees of classification (from 1 to 10) [ 28 ].…”

Heartbeat detector from ECG and PPG signals based on wavelet transform and upper envelopes

“…The analysis of cardiac activity is one of the most common elements for evaluating the state of a subject [ 1 , 2 ], whether to control possible health risks [ 3 ], monitor sports performance [ 4 ], determine the level of stress [ 5 ], etc. There are different noninvasive methods for recording cardiac activity, of which two of the most common are the electrocardiogram (ECG) and the photoplethysmogram (PPG).…”