The role of head stabilization in locomotion in children with cerebral palsy
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Published on: August 9, 2024
L Wallard1, B Bril, G Dietrich
1Laboratoire techniques et enjeux du corps, université Paris Descartes, UFR STAPS, 1, rue Lacretelle, 75015 Paris, France. wallard_laura@hotmail.fr
Insights
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) exhibit greater head movement variability during walking, particularly in the frontal plane. This suggests head roll may be a compensatory strategy, impacting gait and posture assessments.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Physical Therapy
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) affects motor control, impacting gait and posture.
- Head stabilization is crucial for maintaining balance during locomotion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate head stabilization and head-trunk coordination during gait in children with CP.
- To compare gait kinematics between children with CP and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Motion analysis of 16 children with CP and 16 healthy controls during walking.
- Calculation of head angle amplitude (relative to trunk) in sagittal and frontal planes.
Main Results:
- Children with CP showed significantly greater head angle variability relative to the trunk compared to controls.
- No significant differences were found in head angle amplitude in the sagittal plane between groups.
Conclusions:
- Increased head roll in the frontal plane in children with CP may indicate a compensatory mechanism for postural control.
- Clinical assessments of posture during gait in children with CP may require re-evaluation.
Objective:
The objective of the present study was to highlight the role of head stabilization and to analyze multisegment head-trunk coordination during gait in children with cerebral palsy (CP).
Material And Method:
Postural control was measured and compared in a group of 16 CP subjects and a control group of 16 healthy subjects. The subjects had to walk along an out-and-back course at their freely chosen gait speed. For each gait cycle, motion analysis techniques were used to calculate the amplitude of the head angle (relative to the trunk) in the sagittal and frontal planes.
Results:
Kinematic analysis revealed a number of significant intergroup differences, with a more pronounced variation in the head angle (relative to the trunk) in the CP group than in the control group. There were no significant intergroup differences in terms of the angular amplitude of the head in the sagittal plane.
Conclusion:
The greater variability of the head angle in the frontal plane in the CP subjects might reflect the presence of greater head roll as a compensatory strategy. These finding suggest that the clinical evaluation of posture during gait in children with CP should be reconsidered.
