Efficacy of using of the apparatus «Exobot» on the gait of a child with cerebral palsy

Abstract

Cerebral palsy is characterized by non-progressive brain damage but a progressive cascade of secondary diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The characteristic changes in the infantile cerebral palsy lead to dysfunction of the ankle, knee and hip joints, which affects the biomechanics of walking and leads to the pathological transformation. Purpose: to determine the effect of the Exobot simulator on the walking biomechanics of children with cerebral palsy. The review compares the normal and pathological biomechanics of walking in children with cerebral palsy, starting from the Amsterdam classification of pathological gait, which includes five types depending on the position of the knee joint and foot concerning the horizontal surface mid-support phase. Despite the child’s level with cerebral palsy according to the classification of global motor functions and the type of gait according to the Amsterdam classification, all children in the contact phase begin contact not from the heel but the forefoot. This entails a deterioration in the control of the trunk balance and an increase in the energy consumption for verticalization. The gait of a child with cerebral palsy in the Exobot simulator, due to the fixation of the foot, ankle joint and the system of carabiners and elastic rods, always begins from the heel. Thus, the correct step pattern and muscle memory are formed in a child with cerebral palsy. There is an improvement in the control over the balance on the part of the child, his motivation for motor development increases.