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Aquatic Treadmill Walking Lowers Pelvic Motion Irregularity in Typically Developing and Children With Cerebral Palsy
Oluwaseye P Odanye1, Joseph W Harrington, Aaron D Likens
1From the Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska, United States.
Insights
Aquatic treadmill walking may improve pelvic movement in children with cerebral palsy (CP). This method, compared to dry treadmills, showed more typical postural dynamics, especially at slower speeds.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanical analysis
- Pediatric rehabilitation
- Neuromotor control
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) often affects motor control and postural dynamics.
- Traditional gait training may not fully address the complex motor challenges in CP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effect of aquatic treadmill walking on the pelvic dynamics of children with CP.
- To compare aquatic versus dry treadmill walking environments for improving postural control.
Main Methods:
- Block-randomized cross-over study involving children with CP and typically developing (TD) children.
- Pelvic dynamics (mediolateral, anteroposterior, axial angles) were measured using inertial measurement units during aquatic (WET) and dry (DRY) treadmill walking at various speeds.
- Sample entropy analysis quantified the irregularity of pelvic motion.
Main Results:
- Aquatic treadmill walking (WET) reduced pelvic motion irregularity in both CP and TD groups compared to dry conditions (DRY).
- Slower walking speeds on the aquatic treadmill led to decreased pelvic motion irregularity in the mediolateral and axial planes.
- A specific decrease in anteroposterior pelvic motion irregularity was observed in the slow-speed aquatic condition.
Conclusions:
- The aquatic treadmill environment shows potential for promoting more typical postural dynamics in children with CP.
- Reduced walking speed in aquatic settings may enhance postural control.
- Further longitudinal research is recommended to assess the long-term effects of aquatic treadmill interventions.
Objective:
The aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of aquatic treadmill walking on the pelvic dynamics of children with cerebral palsy.
Design:
The study is a block-randomized cross-over design with 8 children with cerebral palsy and 15 typically developing children. All participants walked at fast, normal, and slow speeds on an aquatic (WET) treadmill and conventional (DRY) treadmill. Inertial measurement units recorded the participants' pelvic angles in the mediolateral, anteroposterior, and axial angles from which sample entropy values were determined.
Results:
A multilevel model showed decreased irregularity in the pelvic dynamics of both cerebral palsy and typically developing groups in WET conditions compared with DRY and at slower compared with higher speeds in the mediolateral and axial planes. For the anteroposterior plane, the irregularity of the pelvic motion decreased at the slow speed-WET condition compared with the fast trial.
Conclusions:
The study shows the potential of the aquatic treadmill environment to induce more typical postural dynamics for children with cerebral palsy compared with conventional dry treadmills. Postural dynamics also had decreased irregularity at slower walking speeds. A longitudinal study would show the retention tendencies of observed impacts on children with cerebral palsy.
