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Muscle performance and gross motor function of children with spastic cerebral palsy
D F Parker1, L Carriere, H Hebestreit
1School of Biological and Molecular Sciences, Oxford Polytechnic, Headington.
Insights
The Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) effectively assesses leg anaerobic capacity in children with cerebral palsy (CP). However, it is not suitable for evaluating arm anaerobic power or aerobic fitness in this population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Neurology
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) significantly impacts motor function and physical fitness in children.
- Assessing physiological fitness is crucial for optimizing rehabilitation strategies in pediatric CP.
- The Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) is a common tool for evaluating motor function in children with CP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between motor function, as measured by the GMFM, and physiological fitness in children with spastic CP.
- To determine the extent to which aerobic and anaerobic power of the arms and legs correlate with GMFM performance.
Main Methods:
- Participants included 15 boys and 8 girls aged 7 to 13.9 years with spastic CP.
- Physiological fitness was assessed by measuring aerobic and anaerobic power of the arms and legs.
- Motor function was evaluated using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM).
Main Results:
- A significant positive correlation was found between GMFM scores (total and specific sub-sections) and anaerobic leg capacity.
- The relationship between GMFM performance and anaerobic arm power was limited.
- No significant relationship was observed between GMFM scores and aerobic fitness of either the arms or legs.
Conclusions:
- The GMFM is a valuable tool for assessing aspects of motor function related to anaerobic leg capacity in children with CP.
- The GMFM is not an appropriate measure for assessing aerobic fitness or anaerobic arm power in this population.
- Further research is needed to explore alternative methods for evaluating arm-based physiological fitness in children with CP.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to determine whether, and to what extent, performance on a measure of motor function (Gross Motor Function Measure, GMFM) was related to the physiological fitness of children with cerebral palsy (CP). Two elements of physiological function were measured: aerobic power and anaerobic power of the arms and legs. 15 boys and eight girls aged between seven and 13.9 years with spastic CP participated in the study. There was a good relationship between the standing and walking, running and jumping sub-sections and the total score of the GMFM on one hand, and anaerobic capacity of the legs on the other. However, the relationships for the arms were limited, indicating that the GMFM is not a suitable tool for providing information about aerobic fitness in children with CP, or about anaerobic power of the arms.