MTRB has looked at several studies on the use of music for movement in different populations (see RAS for MS and PSE with children). To add to these, a recent study looked at the effectiveness of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) for adults with Cerebral Palsy (CP).

Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation is the use of an external auditory cue to entrain (synchronize) gait patterns. Shown effective with persons with Parkinson’s and Stroke, this technique has more recently been studied with persons who have MS and children with CP.

Kim et al (2011), utilized RAS with 14 adults with bilateral spasticity and 30 typical adults. Adults with CP were able to walk 10 meters unassisted. Kinematic data were collected during a 10 meter walk with an external rhythmic cue played on a keyboard (inclusive of a chord progression). Gait was assessed with an without rhythm using the  Gait Deviation Index (GDI) and kinematic parameters.

Results indicated significant improvements in pelvis tilt and hip flexion with RAS. There was also an improvement in the GDI with RAS. The GDI improvement was reported as “modest”, but statistically significant.

This study is a nice exploration of RAS with this population – it is the first that I have seen with adults with CP. It is important to note that significant changes were not seen in knee, ankle, or foot kinematics. Also, that the adults could walk independently for 10 meters, eliminating persons with more severely impacted gait.

The demonstration of any changes are exciting, since these are adults that have likely developed an adaptive gait pattern over time – so RAS would be used to improve upon a learned pattern (as opposed to re-learning of gait demonstrated in persons with stroke). The sample size was also pretty good for this population. I hope that we will see more studies along these lines – investigating the way rhythm can be used to improve motor functioning in diverse populations.

Reference:

Kim, S.J., Kwak, E.E., Park, E.S., Lee, D.S., Kim, K.J., Song, J.E., & Cho, S.R. (2011). Changes in gait patterns with rhythmic auditory stimulation in adults with cerebral palsy. NeuroRehabilitation, 29(3), 233-41.PMID: 22142756