title: Kinematic and kinetic evaluation of the ankle joint before and after tendo achilles lengthening in patients with spastic diplegia.
abstract: Fourteen patients, at a mean age of 9.1 years (range 4.1-16.6 years), who had spastic diplegic cerebral palsy were evaluated before and after tendo Achilles lengthening (TAL). Follow-up (by gait analysis) after TAL ranged from 8 to 30 months. A Vicon motion analysis system with six CCD cameras and two AMTI force plates provided three-dimensional measurements of joint motion and moments. The TAL procedure resulted in normal passive dorsiflexion of the ankle joint with the knee at 0 degrees of extension and 90 degrees of flexion, reduced plantarflexion during swing phase, and reduced premature plantarflexor moment. However, 10 degrees greater than normal dorsiflexion of the ankle joint during mid-stance phase was indicative of a mild calcaneal gait pattern. The TAL procedure improved lower extremity function as documented by both kinematic and kinetic analysis in cerebral palsy.
authors.affiliation: Childrens's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA. rlyon@mcw.edu
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lyon
authors.forename: Xuecheng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jeffery
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schwab
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D000125:Achilles Tendon / Q000601:surgery*; D000293:Adolescent; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007697:Kinesics; D008297:Male; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D013710:Tendons / Q000601:surgery*