Article

PURPOSE: To present a new walking aid with axillary support (WAAS) for children
with cerebral palsy (CP) and to investigate its impact on the lower limb muscles
activation in the gait of children with CP. METHOD: Six children with spastic
diparesis due to CP performed a straight line walking course in two situations:
with and without using the WAAS. Each course was repeated three times for both
situations, and electromyography (EMG) activity of quadriceps, hamstrings,
tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius were recorded during all trials. RESULTS: The
use of WAAS significantly increased the EMG activity of the quadriceps and
hamstrings during stance phase and tibialis anterior during swing phase, with no
significant increase in gastrocnemius activation. CONCLUSION: The use of WAAS
improved the synergism of lower limbs muscles of children with CP by reducing the
coactivation of antagonistic muscles, especially during the swing phase of gait.
Providing a walking aid with improved trunk stability may enable children with CP
to improve muscular synergism and walking ability, thus favoring independent
mobility, with possible gains in social participation and quality of life.
IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Children with cerebral palsy have problems with
the development of normal gait, as a result of the reduced motor control and the
impaired muscle synergism of the lower limbs. Standard walking aids do not
provide proper trunk stability for this group of children. In a relatively small
sample of children with cerebral palsy, a walking aid with axillary support was
shown to be beneficial for the muscular synergism of the lower limbs during gait.

Langue : ANGLAIS