title: Gait strategy in patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome hypermobility type and Down syndrome.
abstract: People suffering from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) hypermobility type present a severe ligament laxity that results in difficulties in muscle force transmission. The same condition is present in people suffering from Down syndrome (DS) even if their clumsy movements are due to cerebral and cognitive impairments. The aim of this study was to quantify the gait patterns of subjects with EDS and with DS using Gait Analysis (GA). We quantified the gait strategy in 12 EDS individuals and in 16 participants with DS. Both pathological groups were compared to 20 age-matched healthy controls in terms of kinematics and kinetics. Results showed that DS individuals are characterized by a more compromised gait pattern than EDS participants, even if both groups are characterized by joint hypermobility. All the patients showed significant decreased of ankle stiffness probably due to congenital hypotonia and ligament laxity, while different values of hip stiffness. These findings help to elucidate the complex biomechanical changes due to joint hypermobility and may have a major role in the multidimensional evaluation and tailored management of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Bioengineering Dept, Politecnico di Milano, Via Golgi 39, 20133 Milan, Italy. chiara.rigoldi@polimi.it
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rigoldi
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cimolin
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Camerota
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Celletti
authors.forename: Nunzio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tenore
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Albertini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004535:Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009123:Muscle Hypotonia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities