Leg workouts may boost walking in kids with cerebral palsy
NCT ID NCT03672877
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether 3 months of intensive leg exercise (walking, kicking, jumping, and climbing with small ankle weights) can improve walking and daily function in 60 young children with spastic diplegia caused by prematurity. The exercise is done 1 hour a day, 4 days a week, supervised by a physical therapist. The goal is to see if this approach works better than standard physiotherapy.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- intensive leg exercise
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, non-drug way to improve walking and daily function in children with cerebral palsy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 60 children, and the exercise program is demanding (1 hour, 4 days a week). Results may not apply to all children or lead to lasting improvements.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2019
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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8 to 36 months
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Bilateral motor impairment of the lower extremities * Periventricular white matter injury from encephalopathy of prematurity * Able to stand with some support Exclusion Criteria: * Substantial upper extremity involvement - Manual Abilities Classification System (MACS) Level ≥3 * Uncontrolled epilepsy or infantile spasms in the past 6 months * Cardiovascular or musculoskeletal complications that preclude participation in intensive exercise * Botulinum toxin-A (BTX-A) injections in the legs in the last 6 months
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Alberta Children's Hospital
Calgary, Alberta, T3B 6A8, Canada
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University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G4, Canada
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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