Identification of Common Gait Disruption Patterns in Children With Cerebral Palsy

Identification and classification of common gait deviation patterns in children with cerebral palsy facilitates communication between healthcare providers, provides insight into the natural history of functional ambulation, guides clinical decision making, and clarifies outcomes assessment. Previous classification schemes have been based on experiential and intuitive approaches or systematic and analytical approaches. The current gait disruption classification system has been refined to incorporate the most clinically useful aspects of previous systems. This paradigm uses the concept of primary versus compensatory deviations to identify common patterns and common causes for these patterns. The primary sagittal plane patterns include jump, crouch, and stiff gait. The primary transverse plane patterns include internal, external, and neutral progression gait. Apparent coronal plane deviation patterns are usually the consequence of sagittal and transverse plane deviations seen out of plane. Individualized assessment is essential because of the great variation in and combinations of possible patterns.