Trunk Kinematic Analysis during Gait in Cerebral Palsy Children with Crouch Gait Pattern

Area of Science:

• Biomechanical analysis
• Pediatric gait disorders
• Cerebral palsy research

Background:

• Upper body movement deficits in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and a crouch gait pattern (CGP) are understudied.
• Gait analysis in CP often focuses on lower limb kinematics, neglecting trunk involvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between trunk movement and excessive knee flexion in children with CP and CGP.
• To describe the relationship between trunk kinematics and ankle motion during gait in this population.

Main Methods:

• Gait analysis data from 57 CP limbs with CGP and 26 normal limbs were collected.
• Trunk kinematic parameters (sagittal, transverse, coronal planes) were extracted.
• CP limbs were clustered based on knee flexion and ankle position; Pearson correlation and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used.

Main Results:

• CP clusters showed increased trunk obliquity and rotation compared to normal.
• Significant differences in trunk motion ranges were observed between CP and normal groups.
• Excessive knee flexion and ankle kinematics during stance phase were positively correlated with trunk mean position across all planes.

Conclusions:

• Trunk mean position is significantly correlated with the severity of excessive knee flexion in children with CP and CGP.
• Trunk movement is associated with altered ankle joint kinematics during the stance phase of gait in this population.