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Abstract Children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (BSCP) have insufficient trunk control and upper limbs (ULs) dysfunction. Purpose: to investigate the effect of segmental trunk stability training at different levels on sitting and ULs functions in children with BSCP. Subjects and Methods: Thirty-eight children with BSCP, with ages ranged from 2 to 4 years. All children were assigned to 3 groups. The three groups (A, B, and C) received the same specially designed physical therapy (PT) program for 1 hour, 3 times per week for 6 successive months while wearing a trunk belt of a specific size according to the allocated group. group (A) (n=13) wore segmental trunk support from a level just below the child’s inferior angle of the scapula to the level of his/her pelvis. group (B) (n=13) wore segmental trunk support from a level just below the child’s rib cage to the level of his/her pelvis. group (C) (n=12) wore segmental trunk support from the level of the child’s inferior angle of the scapula to the level of his/her last rib. Sitting and ULs functions were assessed using dimension (B) of the Gross Motor Function Measure-88 (GMFM) and the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (QUEST) respectively before and after six months of treatment. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in sitting (dimension (B) of GMFM) in all three groups (P<0.05) after treatment. Also, there was a statistically significant difference in sitting among groups after treatment (P<0.05) in favor to group A. Regarding ULs functions, there was a statistically significant improvement of all measured subtests of QUEST after treatment in favor to group A (P<0.05). while, in group B, there was a significant difference in dissociated movement subtest and total QUEST score after treatment (P<0.05). However, there was a non-significant difference in all QUEST subtests in group C (P>0.05). Moreover, there was a significant difference in ULs functions among the three groups after treatment but in favor to group A. Conclusion: The segmental trunk stability training using external trunk support for the thoracic and lumbar regions within the physical therapy session is effective in improving sitting and ULs functions in children with BSCP. |