Effect of task-oriented training on gross motor function, balance and activities of daily living in children with cerebral palsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

To systematically evaluate task-oriented training (TOT) on the improvement of gross motor function, balance and activities of daily living in children with cerebral palsy (CP). METHODS: A number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of TOT in children with CP were searched from Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EmBase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biology Medicine, Chinese Scientific Journals Database and Wanfang data from the establishment of database to March 2022. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated, and meta-analysis was performed by RevMan5.4 software. RESULTS: A total of 16 studies were included in the systematic review (n = 893). Meta-analysis showed that the gross motor function measure (GMFM) (MD = 11.05, 95%CI [8.26, 13.83], P < .00001), dimension D (MD = 3.05, 95%CI [1.58, 4.53], P < .0001) of the GMFM, dimension E (MD = 7.36, 95%CI [5.88, 8.84], P < .00001) of the GMFM, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) (MD = 6.23, 95%CI [3.31, 9.15], P < .0001), the pediatric evaluation of disability inventory (PEDI) mobile function (MD = 6.44, 95%CI [3.85, 9.02], P < .00001) score improved significantly in the TOT group compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence shows that TOT could effectively improve gross motor function, balance and activities of daily living in children with CP. Due to the limitations of the number and quality of the included studies, the above conclusions need to be verified by more high-quality studies.