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Updated: May 6, 2026
Clinical-oriented Three-dimensional Gait Analysis Method for Evaluating Gait Disorder
Published on: March 4, 2018
Kinematic analysis of upper limb during walking in diplegic children with Cerebral Palsy
Manuela Galli1, Veronica Cimolin2, Giorgio Albertini3
1Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy; IRCCS "San Raffaele Pisana" - Tosinvest Sanità, Roma, Italy.
Insights
Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) exhibit altered upper limb movements during walking, with abducted shoulders and flexed elbows. This abnormal arm positioning may be a compensatory strategy for balance and posture control in CP gait.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Lower limb kinematics during gait are well-researched.
- Quantification of upper limb movement during gait in children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) is limited.
- Understanding upper limb involvement in CP gait is crucial for comprehensive assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively assess upper limb motion during gait in children with diplegic Cerebral Palsy (CP).
- To compare upper limb kinematics between children with CP and typically developing controls.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a full-body marker set for comprehensive kinematic analysis.
- Evaluated sixteen children diagnosed with diplegic Cerebral Palsy.
- Assessed both lower and upper limb movements throughout the gait cycle.
Main Results:
- Children with CP demonstrated shoulder abduction and increased elbow flexion at initial gait contact compared to controls.
- The range of motion for upper limb movements was generally within physiological limits.
- Abnormal upper limb positioning was a consistent characteristic of gait in children with CP.
Conclusions:
- Gait in children with diplegic CP is characterized by abnormal upper limb positioning.
- Altered arm posture may serve as a compensatory mechanism for maintaining balance and postural control during walking.
- This study highlights the importance of evaluating upper limb kinematics in CP gait analysis.
Abstract:
Movements of the lower limbs during walking have been widely investigated in literature, while quantification of arm movement during gait is scanty. The aim of the present study was to assess quantitatively the upper limb motion during gait in children with Cerebral Palsy (CP). Sixteen children with diplegic CP were evaluated using a full-body marker set, which allows assessing both the lower and upper limb kinematics. Our results demonstrated that movement of the arms was characterized by an abducted shoulder and a more flexed elbow position at the initial contact of the gait cycle with a quite physiological range of motion if compared to controls. These data showed that gait of children with diplegic CP is generally characterized by abnormal upper limb position which could be considered a strategy to keep balance and posture control during walking.
