title: Coordination between pelvis and shoulder girdle during walking in bilateral cerebral palsy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies revealed that pelvis and shoulder girdle kinematics is impaired in children with the diplegic form of bilateral cerebral palsy while walking. The features of 3D coordination between these segments, however, have never been evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  The gait analyses of 27 children with bilateral cerebral palsy (18 males; mean age 124 months) have been retrospectively reviewed from the database of a Movement Analysis Laboratory. The spatial-temporal parameters and the range-of-motions of the pelvis and of the shoulder girdle on the three planes of motion have been calculated. Continuous relative phase has been calculated for the 3D pelvis-shoulder girdle couplings on the transverse, sagittal and frontal planes of motion to determine coordination between these segments. Data from 10 typically developed children have been used for comparison.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with bilateral cerebral palsy walk with lower velocity (P=0.01), shorter steps (P<0.0001), larger base of support (P<0.01) and increased duration of the double support phase (P=0.005) when compared to typically developed children. The mean continuous relative phase on the transverse plane has been found lower in the cerebral palsy group throughout the gait cycle (P=0.003), as well as in terminal stance, pre-swing and mid-swing. The age, gait speed and pelvis range-of-motions on the transverse plane have been found correlated to continuous relative phase on the transverse plane.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with typically developed children, children with bilateral cerebral palsy show a more in-phase coordination between the pelvis and the shoulder girdle on the transverse plane while walking.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Neuro-Rehabilitation Division, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Via Torre di Palidoro, snc, 00050 Fiumicino (Rome), Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tavernese
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, "Sapienza" University, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: marco.paoloni@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paoloni
authors.affiliation: Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus Foundation, Via Pier Alessandro Paravia, 71, 20148 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mangone
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Neuro-Rehabilitation Division, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Via Torre di Palidoro, snc, 00050 Fiumicino (Rome), Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Castelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, "Sapienza" University, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Valter
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Santilli
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010388:Pelvis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012782:Shoulder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016138:Walking
keywords: Cerebral palsy; Continuous relative phase; Gait analysis; Pelvis; Shoulder girdle