Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026
Repeated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Action Observation Training in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy
Published on: August 9, 2024
The relationship between spasticity in young children (18 months of age) with cerebral palsy and their gross motor
Jan Willem Gorter1, Olaf Verschuren, Laura van Riel
1Canchild, Centre for Childhood Disability Research, Institute for Applied Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. gorter@mcmaster.ca
Insights
Spasticity in young children with cerebral palsy (CP) shows a small, significant link to gross motor function development over one year. Initial spasticity is one of many factors influencing motor skill progression in children with CP.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Spasticity is a common characteristic of cerebral palsy (CP) that may impact motor development.
- The precise relationship between early spasticity and the trajectory of motor skill acquisition in young children with CP remains unclear.
- Understanding this association is crucial for targeted interventions and predicting functional outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the initial severity of spasticity and the change in gross motor function over a one-year period in young children with CP.
- To quantify the relationship between spasticity levels and gross motor development in a cohort of infants diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal observational study involving 50 children with cerebral palsy (CP), aged 18 months, across GMFCS levels I-V.
- Gross motor function was assessed annually using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66).
- Spasticity was quantified using the Modified Tardieu Scale in key lower extremity muscle groups, yielding a Spasticity Total Score.
Main Results:
- A statistically significant, small negative correlation (Spearman's Rho = -0.28, p < 0.05) was observed between the initial Spasticity Total Score and the change in GMFM-66 scores over one year.
- This indicates that higher initial spasticity was associated with a slightly lesser improvement in gross motor function.
Conclusions:
- Initial spasticity demonstrates a marginal relationship with gross motor function development in infants with cerebral palsy over a one-year timeframe.
- The level of spasticity is a contributing factor, but not the sole determinant, of gross motor development in young children with CP.
- Environmental and family factors also play a significant role in the motor development of children with cerebral palsy.
Background:
It is thought that spasticity has an influence on the development of functional motor abilities among children with cerebral palsy (CP). The extent to which spasticity is associated with the change in motor abilities in young children with CP has not been established. The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship of initial spasticity in young children with CP and their gross motor function development over one year.
Methods:
Fifty children with CP aged 18 months, GMFCS-levels I-V participated in a longitudinal observational study. Change in gross motor functioning (GMFM-66) was measured over one year. The level of spasticity measured at the first assessment was determined with the Modified Tardieu Scale in three muscle groups of the lower extremity (adductor muscles, the hamstrings and the m. gastrocnemius). The Spasticity Total Score per child was calculated with a maximum score of 12 points.
Results:
Spearman's Rho Correlation (-0.28) revealed a statistically significant relationship (p < 0.05) of small strength between the Spasticity Total Score and the change score of the GMFM-66.
Conclusion:
Our findings indicate that when measured over one year, spasticity is marginally related to gross motor function development in infants with CP. The initial level of spasticity is only one of the many child, environmental and family factors that determines gross motor development of a young child with CP.
