Gait asymmetry in Winters' group I hemiplegic children

Hemiplegia is a neurological disorder that in children is a common consequence of cerebral palsy. Hemiplegia involves one-half of the body, while the other half is typically not affected. Aim of the study was to evaluate gait asymmetry in Winters' group I hemiplegic children (W1), by identifying possible differences between hemiplegic and nonhemiplegic side in foot-floor contact and activation patterns of gastrocnemius lateralis (GL). To this aim, basographic and EMG data from 12 hemiplegic cerebral palsy children (Winters' group I) were analyzed. Gait data from 100 normal developing children were used as reference. Mean decrease (p<0.05) of normal cycles (i.e. normal sequence of gait phases HFPS) and a concomitant increase (p<0.05) of atypical cycles (PFPS) were detected in hemiplegic side of W1, with respect to both non-hemiplegic side and control group. No relevant variations of GL recruitment were observed between hemiplegic and non-hemiplegic side of W1, in terms of muscle activation patterns and occurrence frequency. In conclusion, the study suggested that gait asymmetries detected in W1 lie in foot-floor contact patterns, but not in GL recruitment.