Differences in knee movement while walking in children with cerebral palsy (CP)

Alicja Dziuba, Krystyna Kobel-Buys

Alicja Dziuba, Krystyna Kobel-Buys – Differences in knee movement while walking in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Fizjoterapia Polska 2007; 7(4); 447-454

Abstract
Background. Cerebral palsy (CP) affects many children, with about 50,000 CP patients living currently in Poland. The most frequent manifestation of CP is a gait disorder attributable to both neurological and developmental factors. The aim of this study is to analyze children’s walking abilities using basic gait parameters and trace changes of these parameters during rehabilitation.Material and methods. This paper presents the results of two-dimensional gait analysis using two cameras positioned perpendicular to the direction of the child’s walk and recording at 50 Hz the movement of the right and left side of the body in the sagittal plane. The paper describes the walking skills of three CP boys born in 2000 (3/JK/02, 8/SA/02 and 20/BM/03) who were able to walk with help. The locomotion analysis was based on change over time of angular displacements in the right and left knee in the support and swing phases of gait.Results. The analysis showed that child 3/JK/02 had the best knee movement pattern, as suggested by the approximation of mean angular displacements in selected points in the swing and stance phases to those established for normal children. Child 8/SA/02 displayed greater deterioration of the gait pattern, as the knee movement pattern differed more considerably from that of a healthy child. The knee movement of child 20/MB/03 improved very little.Conclusion. The type of kinematic analysis conducted in this study is of diagnostic significance, helping to identify an improvement or deterioration of gait in children undergoing rehabilitation, and can aid the physician or physiotherapist in selecting exercises addressing specific elements of the gait pattern in order to effect lasting improvements.
Key words:
cerebral palsy, gait analysis, knee movement
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