Reliability of a Body-worn Sensor System for Gait Analysis in Children With CP
Condition: Cerebral Palsy, Spastic; Gait Disorders, Neurologic
MeSH terms: Cerebral Palsy; Nervous System Diseases; Gait Disorders, Neurologic
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Cerebral palsy (CP) is caused by a non-progressive injury in the developing brain, which
      leads to problems in functional mobility, posture, neuro musculoskeletal functions and gait.
      Around 75% of children with CP are ambulatory however they have gait problems such as
      excessive knee flexion, stiff knee, crouch gait or equinus which affects the quality of gait.
      When constructing an effective treatment plan in children with CP, a comprehensive assessment
      should be performed. One of the most essential assessments is gait analysis. Gait analysis is
      used in the quantitative assessment of gait disturbances providing functional diagnosis,
      assessment for treatment, planning, and monitoring of progress.

      Gait analysis aims to determine the factors leading to gait disturbances. To reach this aim,
      a large amount of quantitative data concerning the gait characteristics of a patient is
      analyzed. The assessment of these data can be performed via standardized clinical videos,
      recorded with numerical video cameras used in conjunction with optical 3D systems. The
      purpose of this study was to confirm the test-retest reliability of a commercially available
      body-worn sensor- G-Walk® sensor system-for spatiotemporal gait parameters in children with
      CP.
    

Detailed description: 
      The G-Walk determines spatiotemporal parameters as well as pelvic rotations during gait and
      allows objective and precise analysis of movements with its wearable inertial sensor. It also
      enables 3D kinematic analysis of the pelvis, providing a functional analysis of disorders in
      gait caused by neuromuscular diseases The device is placed on an elastic belt and worn on the
      waist of the person being evaluated, with the center of the device at the fifth lumbar
      vertebrae. To ensure correct placement of the device, the L4-L5 intervertebral space was
      palpated via the posterior superior iliac spines (SIPS).

      After the accelerometer was placed, the children were asked to walk calmly at normal speed,
      on a 10 m track, whose boundaries were determined with colored lines and to return to the
      starting position.

      The values and gait characteristics of acceleration in the anteroposterior (AP) and
      mediolateral (ML) axes were transferred to the computer software program.

      The tilt of the pelvis in the sagittal plane in the flexion-extension direction, the oblique
      displacement in the coronal plane, the angles of the rotation of movement in the transverse
      plane and the symmetry values of the right and left sides are obtained. While the symmetry
      index ranges from 0 to 100, a value closer to 100 indicates that the gait is more symmetrical
    

Intervention name(s): Reliability of the G-Walk device in children with Cerebral Palsy
Intervention type(s): Device
Intervention description(s): The purpose of this study was to confirm the test-retest reliability of a commercially available body-worn sensor-G-Walk® sensor system-for spatiotemporal gait parameters in children with CP.
The children will be assessed with the G-Walk on two separate occasions.For the reliability analysis, the second measurement tests will be repeated 3 days after the first assessment.
The device is placed on an elastic belt and worn on the waist of the person being evaluated, with the center of the device at the fifth lumbar vertebrae. To ensure correct placement of the device, the L4-L5 intervertebral space will be palpated via the posterior superior iliac spines (SIPS).
After the accelerometer is placed, the children are asked to walk calmly at normal speed, on a 10 m track, whose boundaries will be determined with colored lines and to return to the starting position.
Other intervention name(s): Gait Analysis
Observational model: Other
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy who have involvement on one or two sides of the body,
        who can walk independently.
      
Keywords: Cerebral Palsy; Gait Assessment; G-Walk; Reliability