Relationship Between Isometric Muscle Strength and Gross Motor Function in Children With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

Relationship Between Isometric Muscle Strength and Gross Motor Function in Children With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

Muscle strength can be defined as the ability of skeletal muscle to develop force for the purpose of providing stability and mobility within the musculoskeletal system, so that functional movement can take place.

Cerebral palsy describes a group of disorders of the development of movement and posture, causing activity limitation, that are attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in the developing fatal or infant brain. The motor disorders of cerebral palsy are often accompanied by disturbances of sensation, cognition, communication, perception, and/or behaviour, and/or by a seizure disorder

The development and changes in motor function, both natural and with therapy, can be assessed using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) created for children with CP

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Their age between 6 and 12 years old.
2. Grade 1and 2 according to the Modified Ashworth scale (RW and Smith, 1987).
3. They could walk with limitation or holding on according to GMFCS (level I, II) (Palisano et al., 1997).
4. They were able to understand and follow verbal instructions.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Children with any visual or auditory problems.
2. Children with any surgical interference in the lower limb.
3. Children with any structural deformities in joints and bones of lower limbs.
4. Children with any special medications affecting muscle functions (anti-spastic drugs).
5. Children who suffer from other diseases or associated disorders that interfered with physical activity.