title: Analysis of partial body weight support during treadmill and overground walking of children with cerebral palsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to analyze the spatial-temporal characteristics and joint angles during overground walking without body weight support (BWS) and with 0% and 30% BWS, and during treadmill walking with the same BWS in children with cerebral palsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  six children with hemiplegic and spastic cerebral palsy (7.70 ± 1.04 years old) were videotaped during overground walking at a comfortable speed with no BWS, with 0% and 30% BWS, and during treadmill walking with 0% and 30% BWS. Reflective markers were placed over main bony landmarks in both body sides to register the coordinates "x", "y", "z".
  
  
  RESULTS
  during overground walking, children walked faster and presented longer and faster strides, longer duration of single-stance and swing periods, and shorter duration of double-stance period, than treadmill walking, regardless of BWS use. The hip was the only joint that presented a difference between body sides and experimental conditions; i.e. range of motion (ROM) was reduced in the plegic side when compared to the nonplegic side, and during overground walking without BWS when compared to 30% BWS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  children with hemiplegic and spastic cerebral palsy were able to walk overground and on a treadmill with different percentages of BWS, and their performance was superior during overground walking, regardless of BWS use.
authors.affiliation: Moverment Analysis Laboratory, Institute of Physical Activity and Sport Sceince, Universidade do Sul, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Vânia M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Matsuno
authors.forename: Muriel R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Camargo
authors.forename: Gabriel C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Alveno
authors.forename: Ana Maria F
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Barela
mesh_terms: D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001835:Body Weight; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D016138:Walking; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology*