Gait Training Program With Blood Flow Restriction in Children With Cerebral Palsy - EMBRIN: Pilot Study

This is a single-center prospective experimental pilot study to assess the feasibility, tolerability and effect of a 10-week gait training program combined with simultaneous blood flow restriction (BFR) on the walking speed of children, aged 8 to 18, with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy. The children will receive a 10-week intervention (1 week of habituation without BFR + 9 weeks with BFR) comprising 3 30-minute treadmill sessions per week. At each session, the first 5 minutes will enable a gradual increase in speed, and then the maximum tolerated walking speed will be sought. Maximum speed corresponds to the walking speed maintained by the child for an effort of between 5 and 7 on Borg's 10-point VAS. The rehabilitator will encourage the child to maintain this speed and provide feedback on performance. The BFR setting will maintain an occlusion, at the root level of both lower limbs, of 60% of the total occlusal pressure. Children receiving the 10-week EMBRIN program are expected to improve their walking ability and muscular strength, two targets recognized as priorities for individuals with CP by the HAS. In this population, a major limitation of implementing rehabilitation programs is the large amount of practice required to bring about significant changes. This large amount of practice requires a major investment on the part of the individual, as well as significant rehabilitation resources. Muscle-strengthening programs are also particularly repetitive and therefore not very motivating for children. The EMBRIN program could reduce the training load and duration required to impact functional performance in children with CP. It could also help reduce the cost of rehabilitation interventions and reduce physical therapy time for individuals with CP in favor of their social participation.