Implications of providing wrist-hand orthoses for children with cerebral palsy: evidence from a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the effects of providing rigid wrist-hand orthoses plus usual multidisciplinary care, on reducing hand impairments in children with cerebral palsy. Methods: A pragmatic, multicentre, assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial aimed to enrol 194 children aged 5–15 years, with wrist flexor Modified Ashworth Scale score ≥1. Randomisation with concealed allocation was stratified by study site and passive wrist range. The treatment group received a rigid wrist-hand orthosis, to wear ≥6 h per night for 3 years. Analysis included repeated measures mixed-effects linear regression models, using intention-to-treat principles. Results: The trial stopped early due to insufficie..