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Updated: Nov 17, 2025
Lower-Limb Biomechanical Characteristics Associated with Unplanned Gait Termination Under Different Walking Speeds
Published on: August 25, 2020
Short Walking Exercise Leads to Gait Changes and Muscle Fatigue in Children With Cerebral Palsy Who Walk With Jump
Audrey Parent1, Fabien Dal Maso, Annie Pouliot-Laforte
1From the Department of Biological Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) (AP, AP-L); CHU Sainte-Justine (CRME) (AP, AP-L, YC, PM, LB); École de kinésiologie et des sciences de l'activité physique, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal (FDM, YC); Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur le cerveau et l'apprentissage (CIRCA) (FDM); and Department of Physical Activity Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM), Montreal, Quebec, Canada (LB).
Objective:
The aim of this study was to evaluate kinematic changes and muscle fatigue in jump gait during a walking exercise and the relationship between kinematic changes and muscle fatigue and strength.
Design:
This preliminary study included 10 children with cerebral palsy who walk with jump gait. Hip and knee maximal isometric muscle strength were measured using a dynamometer. Then, lower-limb kinematics and electromyography were collected while children walked continuously for 6 min at their self-selected speed. Electromyography median frequency and lower-limb joint angles were compared between the first and the sixth minutes of the walking exercise using t test and Wilcoxon rank test. The relationship between kinematic changes and muscle strength and changes in electromyography median frequency were assessed using correlation analyses.
Results:
During stance, maximal knee flexion significantly increased at the sixth minute (P = 0.01) and was associated with knee extensor muscle weakness (ρ = -0.504, P = 0.03). Muscle fatigue was observed only in the gluteus medius muscle (P = 0.01).
Conclusions:
Children with cerebral palsy who walked with jump gait and who had knee extensor weakness were more prone to an increase in knee flexion during a continuous walk. The fatigue in the gluteus medius muscle suggests that physical intervention should target the endurance of this muscle to improve jump gait.
