Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2024.1503591
This article is part of the Research Topic Multidisciplinary Approaches in Pediatric Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease View all 9 articles

Efficacy of Tui Na in idiopathic constipation in children with cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Provisionally accepted
Huijuan Wang Huijuan Wang 1Bichan Chen Bichan Chen 2Qian Long Qian Long 1Qiuping Yang Qiuping Yang 1Xingqian Yi Xingqian Yi 3Ying Wang Ying Wang 1Yinghan Liu Yinghan Liu 1Zhiliang Cao Zhiliang Cao 1Jianda Xu Jianda Xu 4Yong Ye Yong Ye 1WEI TANG WEI TANG 1*
  • 1 The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
  • 2 Changsha Hospital for Maternal and Child Health Care, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
  • 3 Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China
  • 4 Changzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    To investigate the efficacy and potential adverse events of Tuina therapy for idiopathic constipation in children with cerebral palsy (CP).Methods: A total of 60 CP children with idiopathic constipation were enrolled and randomly divided into Tuina and control groups. The control group was treated with basic treatment and 12 sessions of lactulose oral solution, whereas the Tuina group received basic treatment and 12 sessions of infantile Tuina treatment. The following parameters were compared: the Bristol stool form scale (BSFS), the Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS) and the improvement in constipation. In addition, adverse effects were recorded.Results: At 4 weeks after the final treatment, the percentage of infants whose constipation improved was 23 (76.7%) in the Tuina group and 21 (70.0%) in the control group (P=0.771). Initially, the CAS score, weekly bowel movements and proportion of infants with bowel evacuation ≥2 h were comparable between the two groups (P>0.05). At 4 weeks after the final treatment, the CAS score, weekly bowel movements and proportion of infants with bowel evacuation ≥2 h all significantly improved (P<0.05) compared with those in the initial situation. However, no difference was found in either group at 4 weeks after the final treatment. No serious adverse reactions (such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, subcutaneous redness, skin breakage, or syncope) were recorded.Conclusions: Tuina was as effective as medical care in addition to basic treatment for both groups. The results of this study suggest that Tuina, as a nonpharmacological therapy, may be helpful as an alternative treatment for constipation. More advanced research and large-sample studies should be conducted.

    Keywords: Tuina, Idiopathic constipation, Children, Cerebral Palsy, effect

    Received: 29 Sep 2024; Accepted: 31 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Chen, Long, Yang, Yi, Wang, Liu, Cao, Xu, Ye and TANG. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: WEI TANG, The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.