One-Minute Walk and modified Timed Up and Go tests in children with cerebral palsy: performance and minimum...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Rehabilitation
• Neurology
• Movement Science

Background:

• Bilateral cerebral palsy (CP) significantly impacts motor function.
• Standardized assessments are crucial for tracking functional changes in children with CP.
• The modified Timed Up and Go (mTUG) and One-Minute Walk Test (1MWT) are commonly used mobility measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the performance and changes over 12 months in mTUG and 1MWT in children with bilateral CP.
• To establish Minimum Clinically Important Differences (MCIDs) for these tests.
• To compare outcomes with and without surgical intervention across different Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, multicenter study of 219 participants with bilateral spastic CP (GMFCS I-III).
• Evaluations conducted at baseline and 12-month follow-up.
• Participants divided into non-surgical (n=168) and surgical (n=51) groups; MCIDs derived from non-surgical group's change scores.

Main Results:

• Dependent walkers (GMFCS III) took longer on mTUG (p≤0.01) than independent walkers (GMFCS I-II).
• 1MWT distance decreased with increasing impairment (p≤0.01).
• No significant differences in mTUG and 1MWT change scores between surgical and non-surgical groups at any GMFCS level.

Conclusions:

• Children with bilateral CP demonstrate varying performance on mTUG and 1MWT based on GMFCS level.
• Established MCID values provide a benchmark for interpreting changes and evaluating interventions.
• These findings support the use of mTUG and 1MWT for monitoring functional status in pediatric CP.