Article

OBJECTIVE: To summarize and critically appraise evidence regarding use of gait
trainers (walkers providing trunk and pelvic support) at home or school with
children who are unable to walk independently or with hand-held walkers. DATA SOURCES: Searches were performed in seven electronic databases including EBM
Reviews, CINAHL, Medline and EMBASE for publications in English from database
inception to November 2014. REVIEW METHODS: Included studies involved at least
one child with a mobility limitation and measured an outcome related to gait
trainer use. Articles were appraised using American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and
Developmental Medicine criteria for group and single-subject designs and quality
ratings completed for studies rated levels I-III. The PRISMA statement was
followed with inclusion criteria set a priori. Two reviewers independently
screened titles, abstracts and full-text articles. RESULTS: Seventeen studies
involving 182 children were included. Evidence from one small randomized
controlled trial suggests a non-significant trend toward increased walking
distance while the other evidence level II study (concurrent multiple baseline
design) reports increased number of steps. Two level III studies (non-randomized
two-group studies) report statistically significant impact on mobility level with
one finding significant impact on bowel function and an association between
increased intervention time and bone mineral density. Remaining descriptive level
evidence provides support for positive impact on a range of activity outcomes,
with some studies reporting impact on affect, motivation and participation with
others. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence supporting outcomes for children using gait
trainers is primarily descriptive and, while mainly positive, is insufficient to
draw firm conclusions.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2015.

Langue : ANGLAIS