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Gait Classification in Unilateral Cerebral Palsy
Stefanos Tsitlakidis1, Axel Horsch2, Felix Schaefer3
1Clinic of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Schlierbacher Landstrasse 200a, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany. stefanos.tsitlakidis@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
|October 17, 2019
Summary
Classifying gait patterns in unilateral cerebral palsy (CP) is challenging. Combining classification systems improves accuracy, but further research is needed for unclassified patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Orthopedics
- Physical Therapy
Background:
- Unilateral cerebral palsy (CP) presents complex gait challenges, making classification difficult.
- Understanding prevalent gait patterns and functional impairments is vital for effective treatment decisions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the prevalence of gait patterns in unilateral CP.
- To examine the relationship between different gait patterns and the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS).
- To evaluate the effectiveness of complementary classification systems.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective classification of 89 patients using GMFCS, Winters, Gage, and Hicks (WGH), and Sutherland classifications.
- Chi-squared test was used to analyze the distribution of GMFCS levels across gait patterns.
Main Results:
- GMFCS level I, WGH type I, and recurvatum knee were the most common subtypes.
- Significant percentages of patients remained unclassified by individual systems (17% WGH, 59% Sutherland).
- Complementary use of classification systems significantly reduced unclassified patients without affecting GMFCS level or age distribution.
Conclusions:
- Combined use of gait classification systems aids decision-making in unilateral CP.
- Unclassified patients represent a heterogeneous group requiring further characterization.
- Instrumented gait analysis is recommended for future research and clinical practice.
