Bilateral Asymmetry of Respiratory Muscle Activity During Breathing in Children With Spastic Cerebral Palsy

NCT07777809 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: SYU 2026-06-016-001
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This observational cross-sectional study investigates the bilateral asymmetry of respiratory muscle activity during breathing in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Children with CP often exhibit structural deformities, which may lead to impaired chest mobility and asymmetric respiratory function. The primary objective is to objectively evaluate the imbalance in the activation of bilateral respiratory muscles (intercostal, external oblique, and sternocleidomastoid) using non-invasive surface electromyography (sEMG). Muscle activity will be measured during resting breathing and active breathing tasks. The findings aim to provide clinical evidence for developing selective respiratory muscle training programs for this population.

Conditions

Spastic Cerebral Palsy (sCP)

Keywords

Surface Electromyography; Respiratory Muscle; Asymmetry

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Root Mean Square (RMS) of Respiratory Muscle Activity

  Muscle activation amplitude of the intercostal, external oblique, and sternocleidomastoid muscles measured using surface electromyography (sEMG). The raw sEMG signals are full-wave rectified and smoothed using a 50ms moving window to calculate the RMS values during resting and active breathing tasks.

  Up to 30 minutes (measured once during the single-day assessment session)

• Asymmetry Index (AI) of Respiratory Muscle Activation

  The asymmetry index will be calculated using the Root Mean Square (RMS) values obtained from surface electromyography (sEMG) . The formula used is (Right RMS - Left RMS) / (Right RMS + Left RMS) X 100 . The index evaluates the percentage of imbalance between the right and left respiratory muscles (intercostal, external oblique, and sternocleidomastoid) during resting breathing and active breathing tasks.

  Up to 30 minutes (measured once during the single-day assessment session)

Study Arms (1)

Spastic Cerebral Palsy Group

Children aged 4 to 12 years with spastic cerebral palsy, GMFCS level I-II, and TRACE score of 4 or higher.

Diagnostic Test: Surface Electromyography (sEMG) assessment

Interventions

Surface Electromyography (sEMG) assessment DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Measuring the bilateral activation of respiratory muscles (intercostal, external oblique, and sternocleidomastoid) using sEMG under two conditions: 30 seconds of resting breathing and active breathing tasks (blowing a pinwheel or bubbles).

Spastic Cerebral Palsy Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 4 Years - 12 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Children aged 4 to 12 years diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy who are receiving treatment at a local outpatient rehabilitation center (Easy Rehabilitation Medicine Clinic, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea).

You may qualify if:

• Children with Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Level I or II
• Children with sufficient cognitive ability to understand instructions and voluntarily perform tasks
• Children with a Trunk Appearance Clinical Evaluation (TRACE) score of 4 or higher out of a total of 12 points

You may not qualify if:

• Children who have undergone orthopedic surgery of the spine or lower extremities, or received botulinum toxin injection treatment within the past 6 months
• Children with acute or chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma or acute pneumonia
• Children with severe cardiac disorders, intellectual disabilities, or visual and auditory impairments that may interfere with the experiment

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Sahmyook University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Easy Rehabilitation Medicine Clinic

Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Cerebral Palsy

Interventions

Electromyography; Physical Examination

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Brain Damage, Chronic; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Electrodiagnosis; Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; Diagnosis; Myography

Study Officials

• jemin Yoo

  Sahmyook University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Seungwon Lee

  Sahmyook University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

jemin Yoo

CONTACT

+82 9936-9957; jemin9957@naver.com

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE ONLY
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Graduate Student

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 17, 2026
• First Posted: August 20, 2026
• Study Start: August 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2027
• Last Updated: August 20, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Locations

KR (1)