Clinical and gait analysis of isolated soft tissue release surgery in crouch gait patients

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether isolated soft tissue release operation provides clinical and kinematic improvement in crouch gait, which is one of the major walking problems in cerebral palsy (CP) patients.Material Methods: This retrospective study included 32 limbs of 16 patients aged between 4 and 12 years with crouch gait walking pattern due to cerebral palsy between January 2004 and December 2013. All patients underwent multilevel isolated soft tissue release surgery. The preoperative and postoperative GMFSC level, clinical findings and gait analysis data of the patients were recorded. Pre-operative and post-operative data, which are obtained at post-op 6th month clinical examination and gait analysis, was compared.Results: A total of 114 lower extremity soft tissue segments (mean 7.1 segments) were operated. The most common surgery was medial hamstring lengthening (22). GMFCS score was 2.38±0.5 before operation, 1.69±0.4 at postoperative controls,and popliteal angle decreased from 65.2±11.9 to 60.15 (p 0.05) and step width (mm)(144.41±50.61 147.94±87.8 p> 0.05) increased in postoperative evaluation.Conclusions: Single-session isolated soft tissue release surgeries have borth positive effect on clinical and functional outcomes in selected CP patients with crouch gait walking disorder. Priority should be to correct bone deformities in patients with bone deformit

Treatment approaches to flexion contractures of the knee

The knee is the most affected joint in children with cerebral palsy. Flexion contracture of the knee is the cause of crouch gait pattern, instability in stance phase of gait, and difficulties during standing and sitting, and for daily living activities. It may also cause patella alta, degeneration of the patellofemoral joint, and stress fractures of the patella and tibial tubercle in young adults. Children with cerebral palsy may even give up walking due to its high energy demand in the adult period. The purpose of this article is to review the causes of the knee flexion contractures, clinical and radiological evaluations, and treatment principles in children with cerebral palsy. The biomechanical reasons of knee flexion deformity are discussed in detail in the light of previous Studies and gait analysis data

Intra-operatively measured spastic semimembranosus forces of children with cerebral palsy

The knee kept forcibly in a flexed position is typical in cerebral palsy. Using a benchmark, we investigate intra-operatively if peak spastic hamstring force is measured in flexed knee positions. This tests the assumed shift of optimal length due to adaptation of spastic muscle and a decreasing force trend towards extension. Previously we measured spastic gracilis (GRA) and semitendinosus (ST) forces. Presently, we studied spastic semimembranosus (SM) and tested the following hypotheses: spastic SM forces are (1) high in flexed and (2) low in extended positions. We compared the data to those of GRA and ST to test (3) if percentages of peak force produced in flexed positions are different. During muscle lengthening surgery of 8 CP patients (9 years, 4 months; GMFCS levels = II-IV; limbs tested = 13) isometric SM forces were measured from flexion (120 degrees) to full extension (0 degrees). Spastic SM forces were low in flexed knee positions (only 4.2% (3.4%) and 10.7% (9.7%) of peak force at KA = 120 degrees and KA = 90 degrees respectively, indicating less force production compared to the GRA or ST) and high in extended knee positions (even 100% of peak force at KA = 0 degrees). This indicates an absence of strong evidence for a shift of optimal muscle length of SM towards flexion. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Discrimination of abnormal gait parameters due to increased femoral anteversion from other effects in cerebral palsy

The effects of increased femoral anteversion (IFA) on gait pattern have a complex relationship with other orthopaedic and neurological abnormalities of cerebral palsy (CP). The aim of this study was to differentiate the effects of IFA from other factors in CP. The four groups in this study included: 15 typically developing children (Group: TDC) (age: 9.7 +/- 0.5); 14 TDC with IFA (7.5 +/- 1.7) (Group: TDC-IFA); 8 CP participants with IFA (age: 6.3 +/- 1.7) (Group: CP IFA); and 10 CP participants with nearly normal femoral anteversion (age: 10.3 +/- 4.7) (Group: CP-NFA). Altered peak knee-extension angle and stance-time, increased internal hip-rotation, internal foot-progression (p <= 0.05) were influenced by IFA in both groups of CP-NFA and TDC-IFA. For the TDC groups; pelvic-rotation increased and peak knee and hip-extension, knee flexion-moment, peak knee-power generation in late-stance decreased among children with IFA (p <= 0.05). For CP children; anterior pelvic-tilt, hip-flexion and peak knee-extension, hip power-absorbsion and generation, and peak knee power-absorsion (K3) increased and peak knee-flexion was delayed by IFA (p <= 0.05)

Human spastic Gracilis muscle isometric forces measured intraoperatively as a function of knee angle show no abnormal muscular mechanics

Background: To show whether mechanics of activated spastic muscle are representative of the functional deficiencies clearly apparent in the joints, our goal was to test the following hypotheses: (1) The muscle's joint range of force exertion is narrow, and (2) high muscle forces are available at low muscle length

Effects of Increased Femoral Anterversion on Gait in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Objective: The aim of this study is to identify the gait deviations due to increased femoral anteversion and to distinguish these deviations from those which are commonly seen in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (SD)

The mechanics of activated semitendinosus are not representative of the pathological knee joint condition of children with cerebral palsy

Characteristic cerebral palsy effects in the knee include a restricted joint range of motion and forcefully kept joint in a flexed position. To show whether the mechanics of activated spastic semitendinosus muscle are contributing to these effects, we tested the hypothesis that the muscle's joint range of force exertion is narrow and force production capacity in flexed positions is high. The isometric semitendinosus forces of children with cerebral palsy (n = 7, mean (SD) = 7 years (8 months), GMFCS levels III-IV, 12 limbs tested) were measured intra-operatively as a function of knee angle, from flexion (120 degrees) to full extension (0 degrees). Peak force measured in the most flexed position was considered as the benchmark. However, peak force (mean (SD) = 112.4 N (54.3 N)) was measured either at intermediate or even full knee extension (three limbs) indicating no narrow joint range of force exertion. Lack of high force production capacity in flexed knee positions (e.g., at 120 degrees negligible or below 22% of the peak force) was shown except for one limb. Therefore, our hypothesis was rejected for a vast majority of the limbs. These findings and those reported for spastic gracilis agree, indicating that the patients' pathological joint condition must rely on a more complex mechanism than the mechanics of individual spastic muscles. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved