Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2 (CLN2) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder leading to premature mortality. Ambulatory CLN2 patients typically receive standard of care treatment through biweekly intracerebroventricular (ICV) enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) involving recombinant human tripeptidyl peptidase 1, known as cerliponase alfa (Brineura, Biomarin Pharmaceuticals). This study longitudinally assessed the impact of ICV cerliponase alfa ERT on gait, and postural control across a two-year span in two siblings diagnosed with atypical CLN2 disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhysical activity of a sufficient amount and intensity is essential to health and the prevention of a sedentary lifestyle in all children as they transition into adolescence and adulthood. While fostering a fit lifestyle in all children can be challenging, it may be even more so for those with cerebral palsy (CP). Evidence suggests that bone and muscle health can improve with targeted exercise programs for children with CP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhysical activity of at least moderate intensity in all children contributes to higher levels of physical and psychological health. While essential, children with cerebral palsy (CP) often lack the physical capacity, resources, and knowledge to engage in physical activity at a sufficient intensity to optimize health and well-being. Low levels of physical activity place them at risk for declining fitness and health, contributing to a sedentary lifestyle.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng
May 2023
Idiopathic toe walking (ITW) is a gait disorder where children's initial contacts show limited or no heel touch during the gait cycle. Toe walking can lead to poor balance, increased risk of falling or tripping, leg pain, and stunted growth in children. Early detection and identification can facilitate targeted interventions for children diagnosed with ITW.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) is essential for optimizing patient outcomes in health care settings. Experiential learning (EL) is a method of modeling ICP to students during their education. No studies have evaluated the lasting impact of EL on self-reported clinical practice after students graduate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhysiother Theory Pract
November 2023
Background: Hippotherapy (HPOT) is a physical therapy (PT) treatment tool using equine movement to improve mobility for children with movement impairments. Although research suggests HPOT improves body structure and function, there is limited evidence regarding its impact on activity and participation outcomes in a clinical setting. The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT) may be useful in HPOT settings to highlight changes in activity and participation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhysiother Theory Pract
November 2023
Idiopathic toe-walking (ITW) refers to persistent walking without heel contact for unknown reasons. An underexplored area is the relationship of sensory processing to ITW. This study presents methods to assess sensory differences in individuals with ITW and summarizes results from a pilot testing of the measures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIdiopathic toe walking is associated with lack of heel strike during the initial contact phase of a gait cycle. Idiopathic toe walking affects 5-12% of healthy children in the US. In the case of idiopathic toe walkers: typically, a child can heel-toe walk, but habitually walk on their toes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIdiopathic toe walking on the balls of the feet is commonly found in children. Many toddlers who are just beginning to walk show signs of toe walking, but when toe walking persists after two years of age, the child's risk of falling increases as well as the risk of other developmental delays. Idiopathic toe-walking is estimated to occur in 7 to 24% of children.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChildren with cerebral palsy (CP) have motor impairments that make it challenging for them to participate in standard physical activity (PA) interventions. There is a need to evaluate adapted PA interventions for this population. Dance can promote coordination, posture, muscle strength, motor learning, and executive functioning.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext:: Low back pain is common in golfers. The risk factors for golf-related low back pain are unclear but may include individual demographic, anthropometric, and practice factors as well as movement characteristics of the golf swing.
Objective:: The aims of this systematic review were to summarize and synthesize evidence for factors associated with low back pain in recreational and professional golfers.
Purpose: To develop an electronic version of the Children's Self-Perceptions of Adequacy in and Predilection for Physical Activity (eCSAPPA), which would allow individual administration to children younger than nine years of age.
Methods: Fifty-four, four-nine-year-old children completed the eCSAPPA and the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2). Parental measures of physical activity, and body mass index were obtained.
Background: Knowledge of musculoskeletal factors that influence supine kicking of infants born preterm has implications for early intervention.
Hypotheses: Differences exist between infants born preterm and full-term in ankle kinematics during supine kicking, which are attributable to passive measures of the gastrocnemius/soleus (g/s) muscle tendon unit (MTU).
Subjects: Twenty infants born full-term and 22 born preterm were measured at term, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks of age.
Pediatr Phys Ther
September 2013
Background: Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) demonstrate difficulty with feedforward motor control and use varied compensatory strategies.
Purpose: To examine gross motor function changes following strength training in a child with motor control difficulties.
Case Description: A girl aged 6 years 11 months, with apraxia and hypotonia, and demonstrating motor delays consistent with DCD.
Background: Ultrasound observation of fetal movement has documented general trends in motor development and fetal age when motor response to stimulation is observed. Evaluation of fetal movement quality, in addition to specific motor activity, may improve documentation of motor development and highlight specific motor responses to stimulation.
Aim: The aim of this investigation was to assess fetal movement at 26 and 36-weeks gestation during three conditions (baseline, immediate response to vibro-acoustic stimulation (VAS), and post-response).
Background And Purpose: Differences in the gastrocnemius-soleus muscle and tendon have been documented shortly after birth in infants born preterm compared with infants born at term. Knowledge of muscle tendon unit lengths at term age to 12 weeks of age in infants born preterm may be useful in understanding motor development.
Participants And Method: Gastrocnemius-soleus muscle tendon unit lengths were compared at term age, at 6 weeks of age, and at 12 weeks of age (preterm adjusted age) in 20 infants born full term and 22 infants born preterm.
Purpose: This study assessed differences in measures of the muscle tendon unit between infants born preterm and infants born full-term.
Methods: Twenty infants born between 26 and 36 weeks of gestation comprised the preterm group and 21 infants born between 38 and 42 weeks of gestation comprised the full-term group. Gastrocnemius-soleus measurements were obtained with a taut tendon and relaxed muscle belly (Ao), and with a taut tendon and elongated muscle belly (Amax).
The purpose of this case report was to assess the effect of a reduced intensity protocol for daily modified constraint-induced therapy (mCIT) without use of a restraint on the function of the upper extremity (UE) in an individual with a chronic stroke. A 57 year-old patient one year following a stroke participated in a two-hour mCITprogram for ten weekdays over a period of two weeks. During this period, voluntary use of the involved extremity was encouraged for 90% of waking hours at home without use of a restraint.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhys Occup Ther Pediatr
December 2004
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of a measure of muscle extensibility developed by Tardieu, de la Tour, Bret, and Tardieu (1982) in fullterm and preterm newborns.
Method: Twenty-one fullterm infants and twenty preterm infants were examined by two physical therapists. Each physical therapist measured AO (shortened position of the muscle belly and lengthened tendon) and AMax (maximum muscle belly and tendon length) of the gastrocnemius/ soleus muscle twice in succession.