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Updated: Mar 17, 2026
Clinical-oriented Three-dimensional Gait Analysis Method for Evaluating Gait Disorder
Published on: March 4, 2018
Influence of External Visual Focus on Gait in Children With Bilateral Cerebral Palsy
Asa Bartonek1, Cecilia M Lidbeck, Elena M Gutierrez-Farewik
1Karolinska University Hospital (Dr Bartonek), Solna, Sweden; Department of Women's and Children's Health (Dr Bartonek and Ms Lidbeck), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; and KTH Mechanics and KTH BioMEx Center (Dr Gutierrez-Farewik), Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
Insights
Focusing on a visual target impacts gait in children with cerebral palsy (CP). While some CP groups showed altered movements, others maintained stability, suggesting varying effects based on CP severity.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Biomechanics
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) affects motor control, influencing gait patterns.
- Gait analysis in children with CP is crucial for understanding motor deficits.
- Visual attention can modulate motor control in typical development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of visual target fixation on gait parameters in children with CP and typical development (TD).
- To compare gait adaptations between different Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels in children with CP when focusing on a target.
Main Methods:
- Thirty children with bilateral CP (GMFCS I-III) and 22 TD children participated.
- Participants walked a path with and without focusing on a visual target at the walkway's end.
- Temporal-spatial parameters and movement in sagittal and frontal planes were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Children with TD demonstrated reduced temporal-spatial parameters and movements when focusing on a target.
- Children with CP showed varied responses: CP1 (GMFCS I) reduced movements similarly to TD, CP2 (GMFCS II) showed minimal changes, and CP3 (GMFCS III) exhibited reduced cadence and altered movements.
- CP3 group displayed greater head and neck frontal plane movements and reduced single support time during target fixation.
Conclusions:
- Visual target fixation significantly alters gait in children with CP, with effects varying by GMFCS level.
- Children with CP1 showed adaptive gait changes, while CP2 exhibited limited adaptation.
- CP3 group's gait alterations may relate to diminished sensory feedback from lower limbs, highlighting the role of visual-motor integration in CP gait.
Purpose:
To explore whether focusing a target influenced gait in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and typical development (TD).
Methods:
Thirty children with bilateral CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System [GMFCS] I-III) and 22 with TD looked at a light at walkway end (Gaze Target) while walking and returned (No Target).
Results:
During Gaze versus No Target, children with TD reduced temporal-spatial parameters and movements in the sagittal (SPM) and transverse planes. In comparison, during Gaze Target, children in CP1 (GMFCS I) had larger trunk SPM, children in CP2 (GMFCS II) larger neck (SPM), and children in CP3 (GMFCS III) greater head and neck frontal plane movements, and reduced cadence and single support.
Conclusions:
Focusing a target altered gait in children with CP. Children in CP1 reduced movements similar to children with TD, children in CP2 behaved nearly unchanged, whereas children in CP3 reduced movements and temporal-spatial parameters, potentially as a consequence of lack of sensory information from lower limbs.
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