Dynamic stability during walking in children with and without cerebral palsy.

The CP group was high-functioning: all could walk without assistive devices, 11 were GMFCS level I, 4 were GMFCS level II, and only 3 scored below the Pediatric Balance Scale cut-off near 53. The sample was small, with 15 children with CP and 14 controls, so the findings may not apply to more impaired children or to all children with CP. Stability was measured during walking in a laboratory over 10 meters, not during real-world falls or unexpected perturbations. The study measured initial stability during walking, not the response to actual perturbations. Limb dominance was defined by kicking preference, not by a clinically determined affected limb, because the study physical therapist could not definitively identify a more affected limb for many CP participants. The dual task may not have been demanding enough across ages 5 to 12, so the lack of group differences with dual task may reflect task difficulty rather than stability.

The authors declared no financial or personal conflict of interest. The article is listed as supported by NIH extramural research and non-U.S. government research.

Do not conclude that children with CP are generally more stable or at lower fall risk. The study found no anterior stability difference, and the lateral difference was only on the non-dominant limb in a high-functioning sample.