A preliminary study of the effect of restricted gastrocnemius length on foot kinematics and plantar pressure patterns during gait in children with cerebral palsy

Kinematic foot modelling and pedobarography are complementary measurement methods for measuring foot biomechanics in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Pedobarography appears to be the most sensitive instrument measuring significantly decreased hindfoot and increased lateral forefoot mean plantar pressure and force in the children with gastrocnemius contracture, whilst the corresponding changes in foot kinematics were non-significant. Foot deformity is common in CP and is often due to hypertonia and contracture in spastic muscles. The aim of this study was to establish the repeatability of two measurement technique quantification of altered foot kinematics and kinetics that result from gastrocnemius contracture.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo