Gait analysis in cerebral palsy (2005-2025): a bibliometric mapping of research trends, collaboration networks, and...

Gait dysfunction is a hallmark of cerebral palsy (CP) limiting mobility and quality of life. Despite growing research, a systematic synthesis of the scientific landscape of CP gait analysis is lacking.

We systematically searched the Web of Science Core Collection (2005-2025) following PRISMA guidelines. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were used for co-authorship, co-occurrence, clustering, burst detection, and dual-map overlay analyses. To verify the robustness of our findings, a secondary validation analysis was performed using Scopus (Elsevier) with an equivalent search strategy.

1,404 publications were identified; annual output grew from 26 to 112. The USA was most productive (376 papers, h-index 45). Gait & Posture published the most articles (207). Keyword clustering identified 10 clusters, with "crouch gait," "reliability," and "gross motor function" as persistent themes. Recent bursts include "wearable sensors," "musculoskeletal modeling," and "artificial intelligence." Notably, intervention studies linking gait analysis to patient-centered outcomes remain underrepresented.

This bibliometric analysis reveals a maturing field with growing research interest in technology-assisted rehabilitation, as suggested by recent keyword bursts. Emerging technologies (wearables, AI, musculoskeletal modeling) warrant prioritization in future clinical research, although their current adoption remains limited. The persistent evidence gap between gait measurement and clinical decision-making calls for multi-center validation and real-world implementation studies.

Open Science Framework (OSF) (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/CT27P).