Abstract
Introduction Partial body weight support (BWS) systems have been employed for gait training of children with cerebral palsy (CP). Therefore, it would be important to analyze if the type of walking surface and the amount of body weight unloading over lower limbs change the way these children walk. Objectives Investigate the influence of walking surface and amount of body weight unloading on the spatial temporal characteristics during walking of children with CP. Materials and methods Seven children with spastic CP between four and eight years old and GMFCS (Gross Motor Function Classification System) between I and IV, were videotaped walking with 0%, 15% and 30% of BWS on both dynamic (treadmill) and static (ground level) surfaces. Walking spatial temporal variables were calculated. Results Children walked with similar velocity in all experimental conditions. While stance duration decreased as the percentage of BWS increased, no differences were found for stance and swing periods and cadence. Children walked with longer steps and strides and with faster strides on static surface compared to dynamic surface. Conclusion Children with CP presenting different levels of motor impairment presented some alterations in the spatial temporal walking parameters as they walked with body unloading. However, such alterations might be due mainly to the type of walking surface than the percentage of body weight unloading on lower limbs.
Highlights
Partial body weight support (BWS) systems have been employed for gait training of children with cerebral palsy (CP)
Temporal organization was not affected either by the manipulation of walking surface (Wilks’ Lambda = 0.35, F3,4 = 2.53, p = 0.196) or BWS unloading (Wilks’ Lambda = 0.51, F6,20 = 1.34, p = 0.287), as single stance, total double stance and swing durations were similar among experimental conditions (Table 2)
This study investigated children with spastic CP walking with different body weight unloading over ground and on a treadmill
Summary
Partial body weight support (BWS) systems have been employed for gait training of children with cerebral palsy (CP). It would be important to analyze if the type of walking surface and the amount of body weight unloading over lower limbs change the way these children walk. Objectives: Investigate the influence of walking surface and amount of body weight unloading on the spatial temporal characteristics during walking of children with CP. Cerebral palsy (CP) has been described as a group of disorders in movement and posture development that are permanent and cause daily life activity limitation. Such disorders are attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in the developing fetal or infant brain [1, 2]. Biped walking is an acquired motor action [4, 5] and, it seems a simple motor action, it requires the control of many elements, that transform it on a complex motor action
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