Article

We investigated body alignment and muscle activity at quiet standing and
anteroposterior stability limits in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy
(SDCP). METHOD: Body alignment and electromyographic (EMG) activity of ventral
and dorsal lower limb muscles at three different standing positions were compared
between seven children with SDCP (SDCP(group)) and seven controls [typically
developing (TD(group))]. We also compared these measurements in a child with SDCP
before and after a 3-week training in which the child leant forward and
maintained the forward-leaning posture with the help of a physiotherapist who
manually held her lower limbs fixed in position. RESULTS: In TD(group), EMG
activity of the dorsal muscles increased at the extreme forward-leaning position,
whereas that of the ventral muscles increased at the extreme backward-leaning
position. In SDCP(group), such direction-specific increases were observed in
lower leg muscles but not in thigh muscles. As a result of training,
direction-specific activity in the dorsal muscles improved, and crouch posture
was also improved. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that children with SDCP have
difficulty modulating muscle activity while standing and that the quadriceps
plays a critical role in maintaining couch posture. In addition, crouch posture
may be improved by the training which focuses on control of the dorsal muscles.

Langue : ANGLAIS