Test-retest reliability of discrete gait parameters in children with cerebral palsy.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the test-retest reliability of discrete gait parameters in children with cerebral palsy (CP) in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I, II, and III; to calculate the measurement error between testing sessions of these parameters in the total sample and within GMFCS subgroups using the standard error of measurement; and to evaluate the minimal detectable change (MDC) to identify discrete gait parameters that are most sensitive to change in children with CP.


METHODS
Test-retest reliability study.


METHODS
Rehabilitation facility with human movement laboratory.


METHODS
Ambulatory children with CP (N=28).


METHODS
Not applicable.


METHODS
Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), standard error of measurement, and MDC of discrete gait parameters.


RESULTS
Parameters measured in the sagittal plane and temporal-spatial parameters were highly reliable across all GMFCS levels (ICC range, .84-.97), while test-retest reliability in the frontal and transverse planes varied from poor to excellent (ICC range, .46-.91). Using MDC as a guide, hip and pelvis parameters in the transverse and frontal planes were least responsive for GMFCS levels I and III (MDC ranges, 8.3 degrees -18.0 degrees and 2.7 degrees -23.4 degrees , respectively), whereas ankle kinematics were the least responsive for level II (MDC range, 8.2 degrees -11.9 degrees ). Reliability was dependent on mobility level, with children in GMFCS level III exhibiting greater test-retest variability overall.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that select discrete gait parameters measured using computerized gait analysis are reliable and potentially responsive measures of performance and can be used as outcome measures in intervention studies.
Klejman
Susan
S
Bloorview Research Institute, Bloorview Kids Rehab, Toronto, ON, Canada. sue.redekop@utoronto.ca <sue.redekop@utoronto.ca>
Andrysek
Jan
J
Dupuis
Annie
A
Wright
Virginia
V
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D015203:Reproducibility of Results