Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026
Measuring the Functional Abilities of Children Aged 3-6 Years Old with Observational Methods and Computer Tools
Published on: June 20, 2020
What to measure when determining orthotic needs in children with Down syndrome: a pilot study
Julia Looper1, Danielle Benjamin, Mindy Nolan
1School of Physical Therapy, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington 98416, USA. jlooper@pugetsound.edu
Purpose:
To compare the effects of off-the-shelf foot orthoses and supramalleolar orthoses on the gait of children with Down syndrome (DS), and establish criteria for determining orthoses prescription for a child with DS.
Methods:
We assessed the gait of 6 children (aged 4-7 years) with DS using the GAITRite system, and obtained height, weight, leg length, hypermobility, calcaneal eversion, navicular drop, and tibial torsion measurements.
Results:
Supramalleolar orthoses lead to a longer cycle time than foot orthoses (P = .05) and barefoot walking (P = .03) and a lower cadence than barefoot walking (P = .04). Significant strong correlations with gait parameters were obtained for height, leg length, and hypermobility. Biomechanical measurements showed no significant correlations with gait parameters.
Conclusions:
The role of physical examination data, including anthropometric and biomechanical measurements in the prescription of orthoses requires further investigation.
More Related Videos
09:18Measurements of Motor Function and Other Clinical Outcome Parameters in Ambulant Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Published on: January 12, 2019
07:20Repeated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Action Observation Training in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy
Published on: August 9, 2024