Lower-extremity selective voluntary motor control in patients with spastic cerebral palsy: increased distal motor impairment.
OBJECTIVE
Multiple impairments contribute to motor deficits in spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Selective voluntary motor control (SVMC), namely isolation of joint movement upon request, is important, but frequently overlooked. This study evaluated the proximal to distal distribution of SVMC impairment among lower extremity joints.


METHODS
Using a recently developed tool, the Selective Control Assessment of the Lower Extremity (SCALE), we evaluated the SVMC of the hip, knee, ankle, subtalar joint, and toes in a cross-sectional, observational study of 47 participants with spastic, diplegic, hemiplegic, and quadriplegic CP (22 males, 25 females; mean age 11 y 9 mo, SD 4 y 8 mo; Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I-IV).


RESULTS
Statistically significant decreases in SCALE scores from hip to toes were found using the Page statistical test for trend (p<0.001). Statistically significant differences (p<0.05) were found between all joint pairs, except toes versus subtalar, toes versus ankle, and right ankle versus subtalar joints. Cross-tabulation of score frequencies for all pairs revealed that proximal joint scores were higher or equal to distal ones 81 to 100% of the time. Excluding toes versus subtalar joints, proximal scores exceeded distal ones 94 to 100% of the time.


CONCLUSIONS
We confirmed increasing proximal to distal SVMC impairment, which may have implications for treatment and research.
Fowler
Eileen G
EG
UCLA/Orthopaedic Hospital Center for Cerebral Palsy, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1795, USA. efowler@mednet.ucla.edu
Staudt
Loretta A
LA
Greenberg
Marcia B
MB
D000293:Adolescent; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult