Newly Identified Gait Patterns in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis May Be Related to Push-off Quality.

Background: Limited walking ability is an important problem for patients with multiple sclerosis. A better understanding of how gait impairments lead to limited walking ability may help to develop more targeted interventions. Although gait classifications are available in cerebral palsy and stroke, relevant knowledge in MS is scarce.

Coactivation During Dynamometry Testing in Adolescents With Spastic Cerebral Palsy.

Background: Dynamometry has been used extensively to measure knee extensor strength in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). However, increased coactivation can lead to underestimation of knee extensor strength and, therefore, reduce validity of strength measurements. It is yet unknown to what extent coactivation occurs during dynamometry testing and whether coactivation is influenced by severity of CP, load levels, and muscle fatigue.

Relations between muscle endurance and subjectively reported fatigue, walking capacity, and participation in mildly affected adolescents with cerebral palsy.

Aim: To investigate the relation between muscle endurance and subjectively reported fatigue, walking capacity, and participation in mildly affected adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) and peers with typical development.

Method: In this case-control study, knee extensor muscle endurance was estimated from individual load-endurance curves as the load corresponding to a 15-repetition maximum in 17 adolescents with spastic CP (six males, 11 females; age 12-19y) and 18 adolescents with typical development (eight males, 10 females; age 13-19y). Questionnaires were used to assess subjectively reported fatigue (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Multidimensional Fatigue Scale) and participation (Life-Habits questionnaire).

Assessment of muscle endurance of the knee extensor muscles in adolescents with spastic cerebral palsy using a submaximal repetitions-to-fatigue protocol.

Objective: To compare muscle endurance in adolescents with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) with typically developing (TD) peers using a submaximal repetitions-to-fatigue (RTF) protocol.

Design: Cross sectional.

Setting: Human motion laboratory.

Muscle fatigue during repetitive voluntary contractions: a comparison between children with cerebral palsy, typically developing children and young healthy adults.

Aim: To combine peak torque and EMG analyses to investigate the hypothesis that 1) children with cerebral palsy (CP) have lower muscle fatigability than typically developing children (TD) and whether 2) muscle fatigue correlates with muscle strength.

Methods: Seven CP children, eight TD children and ten young healthy adults (YHA) performed an all-out fatigue test of 35 maximal concentric knee extension and flexion contractions on an isokinetic dynamometer. Angular velocity was set at 60°/s.