Six-Minute Walk Test in Children With Spastic Cerebral Palsy and Children Developing Typically

Abstract

A range of 6-minute walk distance reference values for children with spastic CP and children with TD were established.

Lower limb muscle fatigue during walking in children with cerebral palsy

“…Thus, it appears that in this relatively well functioning group of children with CP, muscle fatigue occurs more prominently in lower leg muscles, but not upper leg muscles, than in typically developing peers during 5 minutes of walking at self‐paced speed. This lower leg muscle fatigue could be one of the contributing factors to reduced walking capacity reported in children with CP …”

“…This lower leg muscle fatigue could be one of the contributing factors to reduced walking capacity reported in children with CP. 21 The fact that muscle fatigue most prominently occurs in the lower leg muscles of children with CP during selfpaced walking versus other muscle groups can be explained by several factors. Previous research has shown that strength is mostly affected in the lower leg muscles, more specifically the calf muscles, of children with CP when comparing lower limb muscle strength levels in typically developing peers.…”

Foot and Ankle Somatosensory Deficits Affect Balance and Motor Function in Children With Cerebral Palsy

“…Participants performed the test barefoot without using an assistive device. The 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) assessed children's walking aerobic capacity (Maher et al, 2008;Fitzgerald et al, 2016). Each subject was asked to ambulate around a fixed course as safely and quickly as possible.…”

The effect of a pacer versus no-pacer on submaximal fitness test results among Special Olympics athletes

“…Standard phrases of encouragement are provided at the end of each minute and there is no warm-up. The 6MWT has been widely used as a test of submaximal exercise test among individuals living with many different conditions, including: Alzheimer disease (Ries, Echternach, Nof, & Gagnon Blodgett, eujapa.upol.cz 2009), osteoarthritis (Bingchen et al, 2008), severe heart and lung disorders (Brown & Wise, 2007), Parkinson's disease (Falvo & Earhart, 2009), cerebral palsy (Fitzgerald, Hickey, Delahunt, Walsh, & O'Brien, 2016), and cystic fibrosis (Gruet, Brisswalter, Mely, & Vallier, 2010).…”