Article

The aims were : (1) to quantify the functional limitation of children
at the beginning of recovery of independent ambulation after Traumatic Brain
Injury (TBI), using clinical-functional scales ; (2) to evaluate the changes in
gait pattern during rehabilitation (about 5 months later), using 3D Gait Analysis
(GA) in post-acute phase ; (3) to investigate the presence of correlation among
parameters obtained by 3DGA, clinical assessment and measures connected with the
trauma. METHODS: Fourteen children with hemiplegia after severe TBI were
evaluated at independent gait recovery (S0) and 5.5 months later (S1) by clinical
assessment (GOS, DRS, WeeFIM and GMFM) and 3D GA (spatio-temporal parameters,
kinematics and kinetics). RESULTS: At S1 all clinical measures had improved.
Regarding spatio-temporal parameters, velocity and step length improved.
Significant progress was evident at the ankle joint, while an unchanged condition
appeared at pelvis and hip in sagittal plane with a worsening of hip rotation
which increased its internal rotation. Significant correlations were found
between motor performance, clinical assessment and trauma-related measures.
CONCLUSIONS: Repeated GA and clinical evaluations were useful in quantifying the
motor recovery of children with TBI during rehabilitation underpinning the role
of GA in quantifying these modifications in an objective and non-invasive way.

Langue : ANGLAIS