Changes in the kinematic parameters of gait in children with cerebral palsy after multilevel interventions with the initial patterns of true equinus gait and jump gait

Abstract

Introduction Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of motor disorders that occurs in early childhood and is present throughout life. The incidence rate of the disease is 1/500 newborns. About 17 million people with cerebral palsy live in the world. According to domestic epidemiologists, the reported incidence of cerebral palsy in Russia is from 2.2 to 3.8 per 1,000 births. Spastic cerebral palsy types are 80% of all the cases. Purpose Analysis of changes in the kinematic parameters of gait after multilevel interventions in children with cerebral palsy with the initial true equinus gait and jump gait patterns. Material and methods This retrospective study included 64 children (26 girls, 38 boys) with cerebral palsy and spastic diplegia. The average age was 8.7 ± 2.41 years. All patients corresponded to levels I or II of impaired motor function (GMFCS: I/II = 14/50). Results All patients showed a significant improvement in the kinematic parameters of gait throughout the observation period. Deviation from the normal values decreased almost four times in the whole group of patients. Conclusion Multilevel single-event orthopedic interventions improve the kinematic and kinetic parameters of the gait of the entire biomechanical chain in the lower extremities. In addition to the local effects of surgical interventions (elimination of orthopedic disorders such as contractures and deformities of bones and joints of the lower extremities), there are long-term changes in the reduction of energyconsumptive compensatory movements.