Study designs of evaluations included in the review
All designs were included. One study was a randomised controlled trial (RCT) and the other included studies were case series with no controls (6 studies).
Specific interventions included in the review
Isokinetic or isotonic muscle training.
Participants included in the review
Ambulatory and non-ambulatory children and young people with cerebral palsy. The ages of participants in the included studies ranged from 6 to 26 years.
Outcomes assessed in the review
A range of outcomes were assessed in the included studies including: movement time, rate of torque, development using Cybex, maximum voluntary contraction, gait analyses, degree of knee flexion, stride length, peak torque, energy expenditure, timed fine motor tasks, ROM knee extension and quadriceps strength.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
Five therapists reviewed the articles identified in the initial search.