Validity of the muscle power sprint test in ambulatory youth with cerebral palsy.

PURPOSE To validate the Muscle Power Sprint Test (MPST) against the Wingate Anaerobic cycling Test (WAnT) in a group of youth with cerebral palsy (CP). METHODS Twenty children and adolescents (11 boys and 9 girls; mean age = 14.8 years) with spastic CP, and classified as either level I or II of the Gross Motor Function Classification System, completed the study. RESULTS Very strong significant correlations were seen for peak power (PP) and mean power (MP) from the MPST and WAnT PP and MP values (PP: r = 0.731, P < .001; MP: r = 0.903, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study show that the MPST is a valid test for measuring anaerobic capacity in children with CP, and that this test can be used as an evaluation tool for anaerobic performance in exercise interventions focusing on children and adolescents with CP who are able to walk or run independently.