Assessing the trunk control of children with spastic cerebral palsy / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the trunk stability control of spastic cerebral palsy patients,and to analyze their visual compensation and the resulting symmetrical balance of the trunk.Methods Twenty children with spastic cerebral palsy and 20 healthy children formed the experimental and control groups respectively.Their balance was tested using the PK 254P rehabilitation system.Trunk stability and symmetry parameters were measured in standardized silent sitting for 30s with the eyes open and closed.The anterior-posterior (AP) and mediolateral deviations of the center of pressure (COP),the average speed of COP excursions in each direction,the COP perimeter,and the ellipse area of the COP were quantified.Results The two groups showed statistically significant differences in the average values of all the variables measured.The differences in the trunk stability control parameters of the experimental group between the eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions were significantly greater than those of the control group.The offset of the medial-lateral COP in the spastic cerebral palsy subjects was nearly symmetrical (the average position of the COP on the X axis was close to zero),while the anterior-posterior offset tended to the anterior direction (the average position of the COP on the Y axis was significantly positive).The medial-lateral and anterior-posterior offsets of the health subjects were nearly symmetrical (both close to zero).Conclusion Children with spastic cerebral palsy have less trunk stability control than healthy children.They rely more on visual cues in compensation.Their medial-lateral COP control is nearly symmetrical,but their anteriorposterior posture tends to the anterior.