Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 23, 2026
Asymmetric Walkway: A Novel Behavioral Assay for Studying Asymmetric Locomotion
Published on: January 15, 2016
Most frequent gait patterns in diplegic spastic cerebral palsy
Mauro César de Morais Filho1, Cátia Miyuki Kawamura2, José Augusto Fernandes Lopes1
1Associação de Assistência à Criança Deficiente, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, Associação de Assistência à Criança Deficiente (AACD), São Paulo, SP, Brazil ; Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Medicina de Reabilitação do Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, Instituto de Medicina de Reabilitação do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (IMREA/HC/FMUSP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Objective:
To identify gait patterns in a large group of children with diplegic cerebral palsy and to characterize each group according to age, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level, Gait Deviation Index (GDI) and previous surgical procedures.
Methods:
ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIVE PATIENTS WERE DIVIDED IN SEVEN GROUPS REGARDING OBSERVED GAIT PATTERNS: jump knee, crouch knee, recurvatum knee, stiff knee, asymmetric, mixed and non-classified.
Results:
The asymmetric group was the most prevalent (48.8%). The jump knee (9.6 years old) and recurvatum (9.4 years old) groups had mean age lower than the other groups. The lowest GDI (43.58) was found in the crouch group. There were more children classified within GMFCS level III in the crouch and mixed groups. Previous surgical procedures on the triceps surae were more frequent in stiff knee and mixed groups. The jump knee group received less and the stiff-knee group more surgical procedures at hamstrings than others.
Conclusions:
The asymmetrical cases were the most frequent within a group of diplegic patients. Individuals with crouch gait pattern were characterized by the lowest GDI and the highest prevalence of GMFCS III, while patients with stiff knee exhibited a higher percentage of previous hamstring lengthening in comparison to the other groups. Level of Evidence III, Retrospective Comparative Study.
