Benefits of a Dance Intervention on Balance in Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy

Aims Cerebral palsy (CP) impacts motor functions such as balance, limits of stability and walking, and may also affect other functions such as attention and rhythm production. Motor and non-motor deficits lead to difficulties in daily life activities. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a dance intervention on balance in adolescents with CP. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the effects of this intervention on walking speed, attention, and rhythm production.Methods A pre-post design study with a double baseline was conducted on ten adolescents with CP in order to assess the effects of a 10-week dance intervention. The dance intervention focused on improving balance and limits of stability. Outcomes on static and dynamic balance were evaluated with clinical and laboratory tests before and after the intervention. Walking speed, attention, and rhythm production were also evaluated before and after the intervention.Results Balance improved after the dance intervention as assessed with both the clinical tests and a laboratory test. Rhythm production also improved after the dance intervention.Conclusions Results suggest that a 10-week dance intervention is an effective activity to improve static and dynamic balance as well as rhythmic production in adolescents with CP.