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Published on: September 18, 2020
Postural control during reaching in preterm children with cerebral palsy
Jolanda C van der Heide1, Co Begeer, Johanna M Fock
1Department of Neurology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Insights
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have intact basic postural control but show issues with muscle recruitment and task-specific modulation. These dysfunctions in postural control correlate with disability levels.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) affects motor control, impacting daily activities.
- Preterm birth is a significant risk factor for CP, particularly spastic hemiplegia and bilateral spastic CP.
- Understanding postural control deficits is crucial for targeted interventions in children with CP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess postural control during reaching in preterm children with CP.
- To compare postural control between spastic hemiplegia and bilateral CP subtypes.
- To investigate the relationship between postural control and functional disability.
Main Methods:
- Electromyogram (EMG) and kinematic recordings were used to assess postural control.
- 58 preterm children with CP (2-11 years) and 29 typically developing children participated.
- Participants included those with spastic hemiplegia and bilateral spastic CP.
Main Results:
- Most children with CP demonstrated intact 'direction-specificity' in postural control.
- Children with CP exhibited abnormal muscle recruitment (top-down) and impaired modulation of muscle activity.
- Postural control deficits were more pronounced in bilateral CP than in spastic hemiplegia and correlated with disability.
Conclusions:
- Children with CP have specific deficits in postural muscle recruitment and modulation.
- These findings highlight the need for tailored rehabilitation strategies addressing these motor control issues.
- Postural control assessment can inform the management of functional limitations in children with CP.
Abstract:
Postural control during reaching with the dominant arm was assessed in 58 preterm children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 2 to 11 years, comprising 34 with spastic hemiplegia (17 males, 17 females) and 24 with bilateral spastic CP (bilateral CP; 15 male, 9 females). Assessments were made by multiple surface electromyogram (EMG) and kinematic recording. Mean gestational age at birth for the children with spastic hemiplegia and those with bilateral CP was 28.6 weeks (SEM 0.33) and 28.2 weeks (SEM 0.34) respectively; their mean birthweights were 1158 g (SEM 58) and 1190 g (SEM 59) respectively. All but one of the children with spastic hemiplegia could walk without restriction, the exception being a child who had self-mobility with limitations. In the group of children with bilateral CP, nine walked without assistive devices, 10 could walk with assistive devices, and five children needed a wheelchair for self-mobility. Comparison data of 29 typically developing children (10 males, 19 females) born at term with appropriate birthweight were available. Results indicated that in most children with CP the basic level of postural control ('direction-specificity', i.e. muscle activation on the side opposite to direction of body sway) was intact. However, the children with CP showed dysfunctions in: (1) recruitment order of the postural muscles, i.e. they exhibited a stereotyped top-down recruitment; and (2) the ability to modulate muscle contraction (that registers on EMG) to task-specific conditions. The latter dysfunction was more pronounced in children with bilateral CP than in those with spastic hemiplegia. Postural dysfunctions were correlated to some extent with the degree of disability in everyday activities as assessed by the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory.
