title: What to measure when determining orthotic needs in children with Down syndrome: a pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the effects of off-the-shelf foot orthoses and supramalleolar orthoses on the gait of children with Down syndrome (DS), and establish criteria for determining orthoses prescription for a child with DS.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed the gait of 6 children (aged 4-7 years) with DS using the GAITRite system, and obtained height, weight, leg length, hypermobility, calcaneal eversion, navicular drop, and tibial torsion measurements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Supramalleolar orthoses lead to a longer cycle time than foot orthoses (P = .05) and barefoot walking (P = .03) and a lower cadence than barefoot walking (P = .04). Significant strong correlations with gait parameters were obtained for height, leg length, and hypermobility. Biomechanical measurements showed no significant correlations with gait parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The role of physical examination data, including anthropometric and biomechanical measurements in the prescription of orthoses requires further investigation.
authors.affiliation: School of Physical Therapy, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington 98416, USA. jlooper@pugetsound.edu
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Looper
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Benjamin
authors.forename: Mindy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nolan
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schumm
mesh_terms: D000843:Ankle Joint; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D061826:Foot Orthoses; D005684:Gait; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology