Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 21, 2025
Evaluating Postural Control and Lower-extremity Muscle Activation in Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability
Published on: September 18, 2020
Dynamic stability in cerebral palsy during walking and running: Predictors and regulation strategies
Roman Rethwilm1, Harald Böhm2, Madeleine Haase3
1Orthopedic Children's Hospital Aschau, Aschau i Chiemgau, Germany; Department of Sport Science, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Background:
The postural control in cerebral palsy (CP) is often deficient and manifests in a variety of impairments. Consequently, maintaining balance and controlling posture is impeded and results in an increased cost of locomotion and higher risk of falls. The margin of stability is an established measure to quantify dynamic stability during gait. It can be facilitated to analyze impaired control mechanisms, but it is unknown if and how people with CP manage to control the margin of stability during a more demanding motor task, such as running.
Research Question:
How do people with cerebral palsy regulate dynamic stability during walking and running?
Methods:
Children and adolescents with bilateral cerebral palsy (N = 117; 50 female, 67 male; age 11.0 ± 3.2) were retrospectively included. All underwent instrumented 3D gait analysis, walking and running barefoot at a self-selected gait speed. People with CP were compared to a control group of N = 25 typically developed (TD). Repeated measures ANOVAs were computed to analyze group differences and multiple linear regressions to identify predictors for the medio-lateral margin of stability.
Results:
The medio-lateral margin of stability was significantly higher in the CP group and was statistically unchanged during running. Different adaptions when running were particularly observed in the lateral trunk lean and step width, which remained high in CP, whereas the TD increased the trunk lean and reduced their step width. Step width was the main predictor for the medio-lateral margin of stability in both gait conditions.
Significance:
Young people with cerebral palsy manage to maintain their medio-lateral margin of stability during walking and running, however, with significantly higher safety margins compared to typically developed. This conservative strategy may reflect an adaption to motor and postural control impairments.
