Article

Investigating gait characteristics during the early stages of walking in
CP may contribute to the understanding of the development of impaired gait. The
objective of this study was to investigate differences in the variability and
symmetry of spatiotemporal gait characteristics during the early years of walking
in children with bilateral spastic CP compared to children with similar amounts
of walking experience and typical development (TD). METHODS: The spatiotemporal
gait parameters of 31 children (15 with spastic CP, 16 with TD) who had an
average of 28.5 (18.1 SD) months of walking experience were collected using an
instrumented walkway. RESULTS: All primary spatiotemporal parameters were reduced
in the CP group, who also demonstrated greater stride-to-stride variability,
compared to the TD group. There were no statistically significant differences in
side-to-side symmetry between groups. IMPLICATIONS: Clinical trials investigating
gait interventions during the early years of walking in children with CP should
be conducted to determine if treatment can reduce the functional limitations that
are present during the emergence of walking skills. Further investigation should
examine variability and symmetry in the kinematics, kinetics, and muscle activity
patterns of early walkers with CP, and the effect of treatment on the variability
and symmetry of walking characteristics.
CI - Published by Elsevier B.V.

Langue : ANGLAIS