Quantification of Upper Limb Motion During Gait in Children with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy

Movements of the lower limbs during gait have been widely investigated using gait analysis, while data on upper limb movements are scanty. The aim of the present study was to quantify upper limb motion during gait in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP). Gait of 13 children with hemiplegic CP was acquired using a full-body marker set to obtain the arm kinematics. Our results demonstrated that movement of the plegic arm was characterized by an abducted intra-rotated shoulder and a more flexed elbow position with reduced range of motion during the entire gait cycle compared to controls. The controlateral non-plegic side also showed abnormalities, in particular at the shoulder joint, which was abducted at the beginning of gait cycle. These data showed that gait of children with hemiplegic CP is generally characterized by abnormal upper limb position not only on the plegic side but also on the non-plegic side.