The Functional Mobility Scale: ability to detect change following single event multilevel surgery

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Orthopedics
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Cerebral palsy (CP) significantly impacts children's mobility.
• Single Event Multilevel Surgery (SEMLS) is a common intervention for CP.
• Assessing functional changes post-SEMLS is crucial for treatment evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Functional Mobility Scale's (FMS) ability to detect changes in children with CP post-SEMLS.
• To compare FMS outcomes with Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of gait laboratory records and video assessments.
• Inclusion of 66 children (aged 4-18) with spastic diplegia, GMFCS Levels I-III.
• FMS and GMFCS data collected preoperatively and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post-SEMLS.

Main Results:

• FMS indicated significant mobility decline at 3 and 6 months post-SEMLS.
• Mobility returned to baseline by 12 months and improved further by 24 months.
• GMFCS levels remained stable for GMFCS Level III, but not for Levels I and II.

Conclusions:

• The FMS is a clinically feasible tool for quantifying functional mobility changes in children with CP after SEMLS.
• FMS provides sensitive, quantitative data on mobility recovery trajectories.
• Findings support the use of FMS in monitoring outcomes of SEMLS in pediatric CP populations.