Abstract
Background: The positive findings from our previous studies, which revealed the link between postural and gait patterns in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP) were very encouraging for recognition this relationship in children with bilateral cerebral palsy (CP). Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate whether different gait patterns corresponding to postural patterns in children with bilateral CP could be statistically significant according to a cluster analysis.Methods: Fifty-eight participants with bilateral CP and 45 matched children with typical growth and development. The participants walked barefoot along a treadmill at their own pace. Three-dimensional kinematic data were collected using the Measuring System for Motion Analysis. To characterize gait patterns, the Gillette Gait Index (GGI) and its 16 distinct gait parameters were used. The participants were divided into four subgroups according to their postural patterns.Results: A cluster analysis revealed 4 gait patterns corresponding to postural patterns: (1) normal gait pattern corresponded to neutral posture; (2) balanced gait pattern corresponded to balanced posture; (3) lordotic gait pattern corresponded to lordotic postural pattern; (4) swayback gait pattern corresponded to backward-leaning posture. There were significant differences in mean GGI and various clusters in the 8 GGI gait parameters: cadence, mean pelvic tilt; mean pelvic rotation, minimum hip flexion, peak hip abduction in swing; knee flexion at initial contact, and peak dorsiflexion in stance.Conclusion: Our results showed that gait discrepancies among children with bilateral CP were not simply a result of lower limb kinematic deviations in the sagittal plane. Information on different gait patterns could improve early therapy in children with bilateral CP before abnormal gait patterns are fully established.
Highlights
Cerebral palsy (CP) comprises a group of permanent disorders of movement and postural development that cause activity limitations
Developing children were classified as having a neutral posture (NP)
Four gait patterns emerged in accordance with postural patterns NP, PP, BP, and AP and were found to clearly correspond to the cluster patterns defined as follows: TABLE 2 | ANOVA results and differences between the means of the various GGI clusters of the left, right, and bilateral lower limbs
Summary
Cerebral palsy (CP) comprises a group of permanent disorders of movement and postural development that cause activity limitations. These changes are attributed to non-progressive disturbances of the developing fetal or infant brain (1). Motor impairments in CP manifest as spasticity, dystonia, muscle contractures, Gait Differences in Cerebral Palsy bony deformities, coordination problems, loss of selective motor control, and muscle weakness (2). The cause of these impairments is multifactorial. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether different gait patterns corresponding to postural patterns in children with bilateral CP could be statistically significant according to a cluster analysis
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