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BACKGROUND: Children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy (HCP) tend preferentially to bear their body weight on the non-paretic side, which leads to the emergence of asymmetrical walking patterns and limited ability to maintain balance. Therefore, improved and clearly effective intervention strategies to remedy these impairments are needed. AIM: This study endeavored to evaluate the efficacy of an accommodating variable-resistance exercise (AVr-Ex) program on weight-bearing symmetry, gait symmetry, and dynamic balance in children with HCP. DESIGN: This study employed a parallel-group, single-blinded randomized controlled design. SETTINGS: Physical Therapy Outpatient Clinic and University Hospital, and a tertiary referral hospital. POPULATION: Thirty-six children with HCP aged between eight and 16 years were assigned randomly to the AVr-Ex group (N.=18) or control group (N.=18). METHODS: Children in the AVr-Ex group undergone an AVr-Ex program, three sessions/week over eight consecutive weeks, besides the usual physical therapy while children in the Control group received the usual physical therapy alone. Outcome measures were evaluated before and after intervention and included weight-bearing symmetry indices [rearfoot (RF-WbSI), and forefoot (FF-WbSI)], gait symmetry indices (spatial [GSI(spatial)], and temporal [GSI(temporal)]), and dynamic balance. RESULTS: The post-treatment RF-WbSI (P

To evaluate the effectiveness of a multimodal exercise program incorporating plyometric and balance training on muscle strength and postural stability in children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy (SHCP). A total of 57 children with SHCP were enrolled in the study and randomly allocated into three treatment-based groups: plyometric exercises (PLYO group; n = 19), balance exercises (BAL group, n = 19), and combined plyometric and balance exercises (PLYO-BAL group; n = 19). The maximum isometric muscle strength (IMSmax) and postural stability [anterior-posterior stability index (AP-SI), mediolateral stability index (ML-SI), and overall stability index (O-SI)] were measured pre- and post-intervention. By applying the intention-to-treat analysis, the PLYO-BAL group showed greater post-treatment IMSmax than the PLYO and BAL groups for the quadriceps (p=.03 and p=.0002 respectively), hamstrings (p=.018 and pp=.006 and ppp=.0001 respectively), ML-SI (p=.001 and p=.015 respectively), and O-SI (p=.011 and p=.04 respectively). Incorporation of plyometric and balance exercises in a multimodal rehabilitation program could be an important consideration for enhancing muscle strength and boosting postural stability in children with SHCP.