Effectiveness of the use of seating devices in children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of seating devices during the sitting position on postural stability and upper limb functionality in users with dyskinetic type cerebral palsy. Method: A systematic review that included randomized, quasi-randomized, cohort, and pre-post intervention clinical trials with evaluation before and after the intervention. This review included studies of children with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, mainly of the dyskinetic type, with ages between 2 and 10 years old. The databases of CINAHL Plus, Cochrane (Central), EMBASE (Via Ovid), Virtual Health Library, OT Seeker, Medline (Via PubMed) and OpenGrey were used. Results: Two studies met the inclusion criteria; however, the analysis was carried out qualitatively due to the methodological quality for these, with presence of a high risk of bias. The study by Cimolin described greater trunk stability and smooth upper extremity movements with the use of a dynamically configured seat. Nwaobi described better upper extremity functionality in a seat inclined at 0º and 30º, not referring to trunk stability. Conclusion: From the review of the results it is concluded that there is not enough scientific evidence to determine that the use of seating devices favors the postural control and the functionality of upper extremities in children with cerebral dyskinesia type cerebral palsy.