Boyer E, Huang Q, Ngwesse S, Nelson J, Oh J, Konczak J. Ankle proprioception in children with cerebral palsy.
J Pediatr Rehabil Med 2024;
17:75-83. [PMID:
38007680 PMCID:
PMC10977350 DOI:
10.3233/prm-220140]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE
There is no established clinical standard to evaluate ankle proprioception in children with cerebral palsy (CP). This study compared ankle position sense of children with CP to age-matched children who are typically developing (TD).
METHODS
Children aged 6-17 years participated (15 CP, 58 TD). Using a custom-built device, the ankle was passively rotated to two positions for 25 trials. Using a psychophysical forced-choice paradigm, participants indicated which position was more plantarflexed. A psychometric function was fitted to the response data to determine the just noticeable difference (JND) threshold and the associated uncertainty (random error) for ankle position sense.
RESULTS
Median JND thresholds for the CP group were elevated (CP: 4.3°, TD: 3.0°). Three children with CP exceeded the 95th percentile of TD. No differences in random error were found.
CONCLUSION
This method assessed ankle proprioception relative to norm data and identified position sense impairments in children with CP. Using this method can provide data on proprioceptive status in CP, augmenting the assessment of motor impairment.
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