Dynamic motor control is associated with treatment outcomes for children with cerebral palsy.
Michael H Schwartz, Adam Rozumalski, Katherine M Steele
PMID 27097830WHAT IT FOUND
Children with cerebral palsy who showed more complex muscle activation while walking improved more in gait, speed and function after treatment.
It did not predict energy cost. Motor control may help guide prognosis.
Key findings
01Walk-DMC was significant in models for post-treatment gait, walking speed and function, but not energy cost.
02Higher Walk-DMC predicted better gait, speed and function outcomes, while higher baseline scores predicted smaller gains.
03The Walk-DMC association with gait outcomes was independent of treatment group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
This was a retrospective analysis of records, not a randomised trial, so it cannot prove that motor control caused better outcomes. The sample was a convenience sample, and not every patient was followed within two years. The conservative treatment group may be biased toward children who returned because of new gait problems, pain or loss of function. The study included only GMFCS levels I, II and III, so it does not report outcomes for children outside those levels. Energy cost results are limited because ageing from 7.7 to 9.2 years would account for 40% of the observed change. Walk-DMC was measured from EMG of four leg muscles only, and the tested variables were chosen by hypothesis and prior analyses rather than an exhaustive set. The measure does not provide specific treatment guidance, so full gait analysis is still needed.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that measuring motor control can choose a treatment or that better motor control caused better outcomes. The study is retrospective and only reports associations; Walk-DMC was not associated with energy cost, and the paper states it does not provide specific treatment guidance.