Crouch gait, a common walking pattern in individuals with cerebral palsy, is characterized by excessive flexion of the hip and knee. Many subjects with crouch gait experience knee pain, perhaps because of elevated muscle forces and joint loading. The goal of this study was to examine how muscle forces and compressive tibiofemoral force change with the increasing knee flexion associated with cro...

Introduction Crouch gait is a well known pathological gait pattern that is often present in diplegic children with a cerebral palsy, eg. [1]. Though the effect of crouch gait on muscle length and interventions at the muscular level on the crouch position are well studied [2,3], it is not known how changes in muscle kinetics are related to the changed posture and mechanisms of propulsion. Howeve...

Background: Deficits in upper body movement have received little attention during gait in cerebral palsy (CP) children with crouch gait pattern (CGP).Objective: Purpose of this research is to describe the correlation of trunk movement with the excessive knee flexion and ankle kinematic in CP children with CGP.Methods: Gait analysis data from 57 limbs of diplegic CP children with CGP and 26 limb...

Muscle weakness is commonly cited as a cause of crouch gait in individuals with cerebral palsy; however, outcomes after strength training are variable and mechanisms by which muscle weakness may contribute to crouch gait are unclear. Understanding how much muscle strength is required to walk in a crouch gait compared to an unimpaired gait may provide insight into how muscle weakness contributes...

The goals of this study were to determine if the muscle contributions to vertical and fore-aft acceleration of the mass center differ between crouch gait and unimpaired gait and if these muscle contributions change with crouch severity. Examining muscle contributions to mass center acceleration provides insight into the roles of individual muscles during gait and can provide guidance for treatm...

Pathological movement patterns like crouch gait are characterized by abnormal kinematics and muscle activations that alter how muscles support the body weight during walking. Individual muscles are often the target of interventions to improve crouch gait, yet the roles of individual muscles during crouch gait remain unknown. The goal of this study was to examine how muscles contribute to mass c...

The purpose of this study was to compare estimates of gastrocnemius muscle length (GML) obtained using a segmented versus straight-line model in children. Kinematic data were acquired on eleven typically developing children as they walked under the following conditions: normal gait, crouch gait, equinus gait, and crouch with equinus gait. Maximum and minimum GML, and GML change were calculated ...

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...

The knee is the most affected joint in children with cerebral palsy. Flexion contracture of the knee is the cause of the crouch gait pattern, instability in stance phase of gait, and difficulties during standing and sitting, and other daily living activities. Hip flexion contracture in crouch gait is mostly compensation of the knee flexion contracture and ankle equines. The psoas muscle is the ...

Crouch gait decreases walking efficiency due to the increased knee and hip flexion during the stance phase of gait. Crouch gait is generally considered to be disadvantageous for children with cerebral palsy; however, a crouched posture may allow biomechanical advantages that lead some children to adopt a crouch gait. To investigate one possible advantage of crouch gait, a musculoskeletal model ...