Therapeutic effects of an anti-gravity treadmill (AlterG) training on gait and lower limbs kinematics and kinetics in children with cerebral palsy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of horse ridding simulator on the sitting postural control of children with spastic diplegia. METHOD: Forty children were randomly divided in a group using the simulator (RS) and a group performing conventional physical therapy (CT). FScan/Fmat equipment was used to register maximal displacement in antero-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) directions with children in sitting position. At the pre and post intervention stage both groups were classified according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and, after intervention, by the AUQEI questionnaire (Autoquestionnaire Qualité de vie Enfant Image). RESULTS: Comparison between groups disclosed statistically significant pos-intervention improvement both in the AP (p<0.0001) as in the ML (p<0.0069) direction in the RS group. CONCLUSION: The horse ridding simulator produced significant improvement in the postural control of children in sitting position, additionally showing a higher motor functionality and a better acceptance of the therapeutic intervention.

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Quantification of muscle strength of lower limbs before and after injection of botulinum toxin A in children with cerebral palsy

Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.rehab.2011.07.433 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 54 ◽

pp. e194-e195

Author(s):

A. Poulain ◽

D. Dispa ◽

A. Renders

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Botulinum Toxin ◽

Muscle Strength ◽

Botulinum Toxin A ◽

Lower Limbs ◽

Toxin A ◽

Children With Cerebral Palsy ◽

Before And After

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The effect of tuning ankle foot orthoses–footwear combination on the gait parameters of children with cerebral palsy

Prosthetics and Orthotics International ◽

10.1177/0309364612450706 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 37 (2) ◽

pp. 95-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Nicola Eddison ◽

Nachiappan Chockalingam

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Foot Orthoses ◽

Ankle Foot Orthosis ◽

Gait Parameters ◽

Ankle Foot Orthoses ◽

Children With Cerebral Palsy ◽

Within Subjects ◽

Kinetics Of ◽

Kinematics And Kinetics ◽

Foot Orthosis

Background:There are a wide variety of ankle foot orthoses used in clinical practice which are characterised by their design, the material used and the stiffness of that material. Changing any of these three components will alter the effect of the ankle foot orthosis on gait.Objectives:The purpose of this article is to provide an overview on the available research on ankle foot orthosis–footwear combination tuning on the gait characteristics of children with cerebral palsy through a structured review.Study Design:Literature review.Methods:A thorough search of previous studies published in English was conducted within all major databases using relevant phrases without any limits for the dates. These searches were then supplemented by tracking all key references from the appropriate articles identified including hand searching of published books where relevant.Results:To date, there are 947 papers in the literature pertaining to the study of ankle foot orthosis. Of these, 153 investigated the use of ankle foot orthosis for children with cerebral palsy. All the studies included in this review were of a within-subjects design and the evidence levels were generally low.Conclusions:The overall results suggested that ankle foot orthosis–footwear combination tuning has the potential to improve the kinematics and kinetics of gait in children with cerebral palsy. However, the review highlights a lack of well-designed and adequately powered studies.Clinical relevanceWhile the research described in this article indicates an improvement in the gait of children with cerebral palsy following tuning of their ankle foot orthosis–footwear combination, there is still a paucity of research with quantitative data on the effects of kinematics and kinetics of ankle foot orthosis–footwear combination tuning, comparing untuned ankle foot orthosis–footwear combinations with tuned ankle foot orthosis–footwear combination. Furthermore, current research does not identify the effect of tuning on energy efficiency.

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