The Effect of Trunk Control on Respiratory Muscle Strength and Activities of Daily Living in Children With Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) can be defined as a group of disorders of movement and posture, causing activity limitation that are attributed to nonprogressive deficits that take place in the immature brain. The motor disorders of CP are often accompanied by deficits in sensation, cognition, communication, perception, behavioral and respiratory system .

Children with CP have many primary motor impairments such as selective mobility, muscle weakness, abnormal muscle tone, impaired coordination between agonist-antagonist muscles and insufficient postural control. These motor impairments also lead to secondary problems such as contractures and bone deformities. Whether primer or secondary, all these problems can reduce independence in activities of daily living (ADL) by affecting CP children at different levels.

There are several studies in children with CP that investigate the effects of trunk control and/or respiratory functions. However, there are very few studies examining the relationship of these functions which have direct effects on ADL. In these studies, the functions of children who are more heavily affected and unable to move have been examined. However, there are no studies examining the effect of trunk control on respiratory muscle strength in children with CP with a better mobility level. There are many factors affecting both trunk control and respiratory functions in these children. Therefore, in children with CP, who have better functional level and can move on their own, revealing the interaction between trunk control and respiratory functions may contribute significantly to the treatment process. For this reason, this study was planned to investigate the effect of trunk control on ADL and respiratory muscle strength in children with CP having a Gross Motor Functional Classification System (GMFCS) levels of 1 and 2 and to compare them with healthy children.