(Scientific Session) Telehealth Movement to Music with Sprint Intensity Interval Training for Arms: A Case Study

Background and/or Objectives: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the most common cause of mobility deficits in childhood. Mobility deficits often lead to physical inactivity due to a lack of suitable opportunities for health-enhancing exercise, which places this group at high risk for cardiometabolic disease. Sprint Intensity Interval Training (SIT), is a form of high intensity interval training (HIIT) that emphasizes short, maximal bouts of exercise done in succession with periods of rest. The purpose of this case study is to observe the potential physiologic benefits of movement to music with SIT using the upper extremities in youth with CP-a program that is both age-appropriate and accessible through telehealth, with scale-up potential for future randomized control studies.

Design: Prospective case study

Setting: Community

Participants: One participant (male; 18 years of age; Caucasian) with spastic CP and mild-to-moderate hemiparesis and intellectual disability.

Interventions: 12-week virtual SIT program (3 sessions per week; 2 supervised and 1 not supervised) with collection of data pre and post the 12-week trial.

Main Outcome Measures: VO₂ peak test (pVO₂), Dual X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scan, dried blood spot test and body weight. Primary outcome was pVO₂.

Results: Participant achieved a 33.6% increase in pVO₂ (14.6 to 19.5 mL/kg-1/min-1), 37.8% improvement in blood triglycerides (82 to 51 mg/dl), and 15.4% improvement in total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein ratio (6.5 to 5.5). Additionally, he had a 5.9% reduction in body weight (171 to 161 lbs), and 9.6% reduction in total body fat (61.35 to 55.48 lbs) from the arms, legs, and trunk (14.9%, 9.6%, and 8.72% reduction, respectively) measured via DXA scan.

Conclusions: Inactivity during childhood leads to cardiometabolic conditions in adulthood. Arm-based SIT with telehealth, with age-appropriate themes and music, is likely a desirable and time-efficient method for improving cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic health in youth with CP.