title: Two-dimensional analysis of gait asymmetry in spastic hemiplegia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Simple measures of gait for routine clinical use could be useful when the complex gait analysis systems are not available. The aim of this study was to quantify asymmetry in children with spastic hemiplegia using a two-dimensional gait analysis by videography and to relate the asymmetry to motor function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four children with spastic hemiplegia (19 males, 5 females; mean age 49 months [SD 5 months], range from 39 to 60 months) were assessed with a two-dimensional gait analysis by videography and the analyzed parameters were compared with normal values and with clinical and functional data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant differences in swing time (p = 0.002), stance time (p = 0.01) and stance/swing time ratio (p < 0.001). The comparison with the normal values described by Sutherland also demonstrated gait asymmetry. There was no direct relationship between the motor function and asymmetry but a score analysis for specific Gross Motor Function Measure items could quantify it in terms of age of gait acquisition. Children with more adequate muscle tone presented longer stance time in the involved limb than those with more spasticity (p = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the best performance is associated with the smallest asymmetry in this sample. Although two-dimensional gait analysis does not provide as much data as three dimensional gait analyses, we believe it can contribute significantly to the gait assessment of children with cerebral palsy.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Paraná - UFPR, Curitiba, PR, BR.
authors.forename: Marise Bueno
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Zonta
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, São Paulo, SP, BR.
authors.forename: Amancio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramalho Júnior
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Universidade Federal do Paraná - UFPR, Curitiba, PR, BR.
authors.forename: Regina Maria Ribeiro
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Camargo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná - UTP, Curitiba, PR, BR.
authors.forename: Fabiano Hessel
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Universidade Federal do Paraná - UFPR, Curitiba, PR, BR.
authors.forename: Lúcia Helena Coutinho Dos
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Santos