Crouched postures reduce the capacity of muscles to extend the hip and knee during the single-limb stance phase of gait.

ABSTRACT: Many children with cerebral palsy walk in a crouch gait that progressively worsens over time, decreasing walking efficiency and leading to joint degeneration. This study examined the effect of crouched postures on the capacity of muscles to extend the hip and knee joints and the joint flexions induced by gravity during the single-limb stance phase of gait. We first characterized representative mild, moderate, and severe crouch gait kinematics based on a large group of subjects with cerebral palsy (N=316). We then used a three-dimensional model of the musculoskeletal system and its associated equations of motion to determine the effect of these crouched gait postures on (1) the capacity of individual muscles to extend the hip and knee joints, which we defined as the angular accelerations of

SUBMITTER: Hicks JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2443703 | biostudies-literature | 2008

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature