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Evidence for Its Efficacy

Emanuel Tirosh, MD; Sheri Rabino, MSc

Am J Dis Child. 1989;143(5):552-555.

Abstract
• Physiotherapy is currently the most popular therapeutic intervention for cerebral palsy. This therapy requires highly trained personnel, diverse equipment, and parental cooperation. Notwithstanding the expense and commitment required for the implementation of a therapeutic program, a computer search of the literature published in English during the past 15 years revealed only nine studies pertaining to the efficacy and no study addressing the effectiveness of this intervention. A critical review of this literature, employing 14 methodological and reporting criteria, revealed that only three studies adequately fulfilled nine of the criteria; the remaining studies used a less rigorous design. Of those three articles, two used statistical analysis and concluded that the results were negative, while the third utilized clinical analysis only and demonstrated positive results. Evidence for the usefulness of this therapy has yet to be demonstrated; with the presently available methodologies it is ethically imperative to institute a properly designed, collaborative, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial.

(AJDC. 1989;143:552-555)

Author Affiliations
From the Hannah Khoushy Child Development Center, Bnai Zion Medical Center (Dr Tirosh and Ms Rabino), and the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (Dr Tirosh), Haifa, Israel.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication December 30, 1988.

Reprint requests to Hannah Khoushy Child Development Center, Bnai Zion Medical Center, PO Box 4940, 31048 Haifa, Israel (Dr Tirosh).

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