Touch therapy shows promise for kids with cerebral palsy
NCT ID NCT04235088
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether an intensive 3-week touch-based therapy program could help children with unilateral cerebral palsy use their affected arm better. Sixteen children aged 6 to 15 took part in 30 hours of therapy plus weekend activities. The goal was to see if this approach is feasible and improves arm function and daily participation.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- somatosensory intensive intervention (touch-based therapy)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new therapy to help children with cerebral palsy use their affected arm better in daily activities.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small feasibility study with only 16 children, so results may not apply to everyone. The therapy is intensive and may be hard for some families to maintain.
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
-
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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16 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2020
- Finished
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Mar 2021
- 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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6 to 15 years
- 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of unilateral cerebral palsy * Manual Ability Classification System (MACS): levels I, II y III. * Gender: male and female * Age: 6 to 15 years old Exclusion Criteria: * Existence of a moderate or severe cognitive impairment, which could interfere with the comprehension of the tester cues * Botulinum toxic infiltration 4 months before the date of the pre-intervention assessment or during intervention or during the 3 months after the final intervention * To have suffered any injury such as fractures and/or contusions in the upper limb in the last 12 months * Orthopedic intervention in the 6 months preceding the study or during the study
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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
-
Asociación para la Investigación en la Discapacidad Motriz (AIDIMO)
Zaragoza, Zaragoza, 50011, Spain
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Sensor study asks: how does constraint therapy rewire arm muscles in cerebral palsy?
- Can walking with poles help children with cerebral palsy walk more evenly?
- Intensive hand therapy shows promise for children with one-sided cerebral palsy
- Can a digital mirror help kids with One-Sided weakness move better?
- Mind over movement: new therapy uses imagination to help kids with CP
- Pirate-Themed therapy goes hybrid: can home sessions help kids with cerebral palsy?