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Soleus H-Reflex and Its Modulation With Vibration in Idiopathic Toe Walkers and Typically Developing Children

Essi Marttinen Rossi1, Päivi Nevalainen2, Helena Mäenpää1

  • 11 Pediatric Neurology, Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, HUS, Finland.

Journal of Child Neurology
|March 27, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Idiopathic toe walking may involve spinal motor circuit alterations in some children. Further research is needed to understand these functional changes and develop targeted treatments for this common condition.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • Idiopathic toe walking (ITW) is a common developmental condition.
  • ITW can lead to secondary musculoskeletal issues like pain and contractures.
  • The underlying cause of ITW remains unknown, impeding effective treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate potential functional alterations in spinal motor circuits in children with ITW.
  • To examine the soleus H-reflex properties and their modulation by vibration in ITW patients.

Main Methods:

  • Studied soleus H-reflex properties and vibration modulation.
  • Compared 26 children with ITW to 16 typically developing children.
  • Analyzed H-reflex parameters at both group and individual levels.

Main Results:

  • Group-level H-reflex properties showed no significant differences between ITW and typically developing children.
  • Individually, 7 out of 25 ITW children exhibited H-reflex parameters outside normal ranges.
  • Achilles tendon vibration suppressed the H-reflex similarly in both groups.

Conclusions:

  • Idiopathic toe walking may be associated with functional alterations in spinal motor circuits in a subset of affected children.
  • These findings suggest potential neurophysiological underpinnings for ITW.
  • Further investigation into these spinal circuit alterations could inform future treatment approaches.

Keywords:
H-reflexidiopathic toe walkingneurophysiologyvibration

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