Traceable Features of Static Plantar Pressure Characteristics and Foot Postures in College Students with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Patients with cerebral palsy (CP) are characterized by disturbances of mobility with postural and foot deformities. Subsequent development of CP may lead to changes in plantar loading. This study examined the characteristics of foot types and relative loads associated with centers of gravity and foot posture in college students with left and right hemiplegic CP, as well as these differences between unaffected and hemiplegic limbs. A cross-sectional study of 45 hemiplegic college students with mild CP and 62 healthy students was conducted. Static plantar pressure was measured with a JC Mat. CP students exhibited low arches, and their plantar pressure distributions (PPDs) were mainly exerted on the left forefoot, as well as on the right forefoot and rearfoot. The weight shifted to the unaffected foot with dual plantar loading regions (forefoot and rearfoot), rather than the hemiplegic foot with a single region (forefoot). PPDs commonly increased at the medial metatarsals of both feet, and hemiplegic CP students presented the increased PPDs on the medial aspect of the hemiplegic foot accompanied by a rearfoot valgus posture pattern. The findings revealed a traceable feature to a possible connection among the pronated low arches, mild centers of gravity, metatarsal syndrome and rearfoot valgus of the hemiplegic limbs in CP patients.

Gait Analysis in Children with Cerebral Palsy: Are Plantar Pressure Insoles a Reliable Tool?

“…Though the gold standard for gait analysis in children with CP would be a quantitative three-dimensional analysis of movement and respective articular moments and power (kinematics and kinetics), possibly alongside muscle activation (electromyography) and oxygen consumption [ 9 ], it is not always possible to conduct such an assessment in a clinical setting. More accessible and portable methods have been recently used such as inertial sensors [ 10 , 11 ] and plantar pressure recording devices [ 7 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ].…”

“…Several studies tested its reliability [ 16 , 17 ] for both healthy adult and children, but none have assessed subjects with CP. The few existing clinical studies in participants with CP use mainly plantar pressure mats/platforms instead of insoles [ 7 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ].…”