Studying the Research–Practice Gap in Physical Therapies for Cerebral Palsy: Preliminary Outcomes Based on a Survey of Spanish Clinicians

Cristina Sanchez (), Sergio Lerma-Lara, Rodrigo Garcia-Carmona, Eloy Urendes, Paula Laccourreye and Rafael Raya
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Cristina Sanchez: Departamento de Tecnologías de la Información, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, 28668 Madrid, Spain
Sergio Lerma-Lara: Motion in Brains Research Group, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28023 Madrid, Spain
Rodrigo Garcia-Carmona: Departamento de Tecnologías de la Información, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, 28668 Madrid, Spain
Eloy Urendes: Departamento de Tecnologías de la Información, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, 28668 Madrid, Spain
Paula Laccourreye: Departamento de Tecnologías de la Información, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, 28668 Madrid, Spain
Rafael Raya: Departamento de Tecnologías de la Información, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, 28668 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-21

Abstract: The purpose of this work is to study the gap between the research evidence and the clinical practice in the physical rehabilitation of people with cerebral palsy. A review process was performed to (1) identify physical therapies to improve postural control in children with cerebral palsy and (2) determine the scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of those therapies. A Likert-based survey addressing a total of 43 healthcare professionals involved in pediatric physical therapy departments in Spain was carried out. The discussion was mainly supported by studies of level I or II evidence (according to the Oxford scale). The search process yielded 50 studies reporting 16 therapies. A strong positive correlation between the most used treatments and elevated levels of satisfaction was found. Some well-known but not often used techniques, such as hippotherapy, were identified. The treatment with the highest degree of use and satisfaction—neurodevelopment therapy (Bobath)—and some emerging techniques, such as virtual reality, were also identified. The fact that there is a meaningful gap between clinical practice and the scientific evidence was confirmed. The identified gap brings a certain degree of controversy. While some classic and well-known therapies had poor levels of supporting evidence, other relatively new approaches showed promising results.

Keywords: cerebral palsy; physical therapies; physiotherapy; occupational therapy; postural control; trunk control; motor control; rehabilitation; survey; clinical practice; scientific evidence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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