Normalizing step-to-step variability to age in children and adolescents with hemiplegia.

Publication/Presentation Date

10-1-2022

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Children with hemiplegia often demonstrate gait deviations including increased variability and asymmetry. Step-to-step gait variability decreases over childhood and increases in the presence of neurologic dysfunction. Gait variability in children with hemiplegia should therefore be interpreted in reference to age-related norms RESEARCH QUESTION: Does conversion of the enhanced gait variability index (eGVI) to age-normalized z-scores improve interpretation of gait variability in children with hemiplegia?

METHODS: Ten children (11.2 +/- 4.1 years) with hemiparetic gait due to stroke were recruited for a small prospective pilot intervention study. Participants walked at self-selected speed over an instrumented walkway while barefeet and while wearing shoes. eGVI values from baseline sessions were calculated and converted to age-normalized z-scores (eGVI

RESULTS: There were no differences in raw eGVI or eGVI

SIGNIFICANCE: We suggest that eGVI values in children be converted to z-scores or otherwise age-normalized so as not to inflate the degree of variability reported in clinical pediatric populations. Future work with larger samples will offer greater insight into gait variability in various clinical pediatric populations.

Volume

98

First Page

6

Last Page

8

ISSN

1879-2219

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Pediatrics

PubMedID

35994953

Department(s)

Department of Pediatrics

Document Type

Article

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