Gait parameters in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

AimTo identify the gait parameters used to assess gait disorders in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP) and evaluate their responsiveness to treatments.MethodA systematic search within PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus (in English, 2000 –2016) for randomized controlled trials of children with bilateral spastic CP who were assessed by instrumented gait analysis (IGA) was performed. Data related to participants and study characteristics, risk of bias, and outcome measures were collected. A list of gait parameters responsive to clin ical interventions was obtained.ResultsTwenty ‐one articles met the inclusion criteria. Eighty‐nine gait parameters were identified, 56 of which showed responsiveness to treatments. Spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters were widely used compared to kinetic and surface electromyography data. The majority of responsive gait parameters were joint angles at the sagittal plane (flexion–extension).InterpretationThe IGA yields responsive outcome measures for the gait assessment of children with bilateral spastic CP. Spatiotemporal and kinematic (at sagittal plane) parameters are the gait parameters used most frequently. Further research is needed to establish the relevant gait parameters for each clinical problem.What this paper adds Fifty ‐six responsive gait parameters for children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy were identified. Most responsive gait parameters belong to joint angles time‐series at sagittal plane. ...
Source: Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: Systematic Review Source Type: research