Balance abilities and gait characteristics in post-traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and typically developed children

Objectives: To quantify the differences in gait variability and balance performance between children with cerebral palsy (CP), children with post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) and typically developed (TD) children and to determine the association between gait variability and functional balance in the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental neurorehabilitation 2009-01, Vol.12 (2), p.100-105
Main Authors: Katz-Leurer, Michal, Rotem, Hemda, Keren, Ofer, Meyer, Shirley
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of Variance
balance
Brain Injuries - complications
Brain Injuries - physiopathology
Case-Control Studies
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral Palsy - complications
Cerebral Palsy - physiopathology
Child
children
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Gait
Humans
Male
Neuropsychological Tests
Postural Balance
step variability
traumatic brain injury
Walking
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Summary:Objectives: To quantify the differences in gait variability and balance performance between children with cerebral palsy (CP), children with post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) and typically developed (TD) children and to determine the association between gait variability and functional balance in these groups. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Physical therapy department of a paediatric and adolescent rehabilitation hospital. Participants: A convenience sample of 15 children post-TBI, 15 children with CP and 30 TD age- and sex-matched controls. Intervention: Not applicable. Main outcome measure: Step length and step time variability measured by an electronic walkway; timed up and go (TUG) test and functional reach test (FRT) were used as functional balance tests. Results: The functional balance abilities of children post-TBI and children with CP were significantly limited compared to TD children. Children post-TBI had significantly greater variability in step length in comparison to healthy controls. A significant linear inverse correlation between balance performance and step length variability was found only among children with TBI. Conclusion: Brain damage is associated with restricted balance performance and increased step variability. It might be that in a child born with brain damage, as opposed to acquired damage, the developmental process has a restraining effect on gait variability.
ISSN:1751-8423
1751-8431
DOI:10.1080/17518420902800928