BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Instrumented 3-D gait analyses (GA) in children with cerebral palsy (CP) have shown improved gait function 1 year postoperatively. Using GA, we assessed the outcome after 5 years and evaluated parental satisfaction with the surgery and the need for additional surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS 34 ambulatory children with spastic diplegia had preoperative GA. Based on this GA...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of repetitive locomotor training with an electromechanical gait trainer in children with cerebral palsy. DESIGN In this randomized controlled trial, 18 ambulatory children with diplegic or tetraplegic cerebral palsy were randomly assigned to an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group received 30 mins of re...

Since the time of Little the role of birth injury in the aetiology of cerebral palsy has been much debated (Little, 1843; 1862). Freud and Collier believed that diplegia often had its origin in prenatal life and was less frequently the result of birth injury than was generally thought (Freud, 1897; Collier, 1899, 1924). More recently attempts have been made to classify diplegic patients into tw...

OBJECTIVE To investigate motor cortical map patterns in children with diplegic and hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP), and the relationships between motor cortical geometry and motor function in CP. METHODS Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to map motor cortical representations of the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles in 13 children with CP (age 9-16...

OBJECTIVE To identify gait patterns in a large group of children with diplegic cerebral palsy and to characterize each group according to age, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level, Gait Deviation Index (GDI) and previous surgical procedures. METHODS ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIVE PATIENTS WERE DIVIDED IN SEVEN GROUPS REGARDING OBSERVED GAIT PATTERNS: jump knee, crouch...

BACKGROUND In young people with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy weakness of the hip extensor muscles are associated with limitations in activity. It is important that clinicians can reliably measure hip extensor muscle strength to monitor changes over time and the effects of any interventions. Previous research has demonstrated high reliability for measuring strength of all muscles of the lower...

BACKGROUND Cerebral palsy is the commonest cause of severe physical disability in childhood. For many years treatment has centred on the use of physiotherapy and orthotics to overcome the problems of leg spasticity, which interferes with walking and can lead to limb deformity. Intramuscular botulinum toxin (BT-A) offers a targeted form of therapy to reduce spasticity in specific muscle groups. ...