Leg and Joint Stiffness in Children with Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy during Level Walking.

ABSTRACT: Individual joint deviations are often identified in the analysis of cerebral palsy (CP) gait. However, knowledge is limited as to how these deviations affect the control of the locomotor system as a whole when striving to meet the demands of walking. The current study aimed to bridge the gap by describing the control of the locomotor system in children with diplegic CP in terms of their leg stiffness, both skeletal and muscular components, and associated joint stiffness during gait. Twelve children with spastic diplegia CP and 12 healthy controls walked at a self-selected pace in a gait laboratory while their kinematic and forceplate data were measured and analyzed during loading response, mid-stance, terminal stance and pre-swing. For calculating the leg stiffness, each of the lower limbs

SUBMITTER: Wang TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4667918 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature