Treatment of functional limitations at the knee in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

The gait of ambulatory children with cerebral palsy frequently involves abnormal knee motion. Spasticity, muscle contracture formation, impairments of motor control, weakness, balance deficits, and extrapyramidal motions can all contribute to the functional limitations imposed at the knee. Careful clinical evaluation of the child and their gait must be performed in order to determine the best individual course of treatment. Often, three-dimensional motion analysis with assessment of muscle activity and force is necessary to completely assess the complexities of gait. Several typical gait patterns have been described involving the knee, including 'jump knee', 'crouch', 'true equinus', 'apparent equinus', 'recurvatum' and 'stiff knee' gait. Each of these gait patterns is defined here and discussed using case examples. These typical gait patterns are usually accompanied by involvement at the hip and ankle and may be combined with transverse plane rotational abnormalities. Treatment options such as rehabilitation (physiotherapy, casting, strengthening, and/or orthoses), spasticity management (intramuscular injections of phenol, alcohol, and botulinum toxin type A) and orthopaedic approaches are discussed for each entity.