title: Physical strain of comfortable walking in children with mild cerebral palsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the physical strain of comfortable walking in children with mild cerebral palsy (CP) in comparison to typically developing (TD) children. Physical strain was defined as the oxygen uptake during walking (VO(2walk)) expressed as a percentage of their maximal aerobic capacity (VO(2peak)).
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen children (aged 8-16 years) participated, including eight ambulant children (four girls, four boys) with mild spastic CP (three hemiplegia, five diplegia, GMFCS I: n = 7 and II: n = 1) and 10 TD children. VO(2walk) was measured during 5 min of walking on an indoor track at comfortable walking speed. VO(2peak) was measured in a shuttle run test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  VO(2walk) was significantly higher in CP (19.7 (2.8) ml/kg/min) compared to TD (16.8 (3.6) ml/kg/min, p = 0.033), while walking speed did not differ significantly between groups. VO(2peak) was significantly lower in CP (37.2 (2.2) ml/kg/min) compared to TD (45.0 (5.3) ml/kg/min, p = 0.001). Consequently, the physical strain during walking was significantly higher in CP (52 (7.7) %) compared to TD (36 (8.4) %, p = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The higher physical strain during comfortable walking of children with mild CP compared to TD children may be related to reported problems with fatigue in this population, and suggest a need for physical aerobic training programmes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research and Research Institute MOVE, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. a.dallmeijer@vumc.nl
authors.forename: Annet J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Dallmeijer
authors.forename: Merel-Anne
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Brehm
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology*; D011659:Pulmonary Gas Exchange; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*