AQUATIC TREADMILL WALKING IMPROVES PELVIC DYNAMICS OF TYPICALLY DEVELOPING AND CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY
Presenter Type
UNO Graduate Student (Doctoral)
Major/Field of Study
Biomechanics
Other
Biomechanics
Author ORCID Identifier
Advisor Information
Dr. Brian Knarr
Location
CEC RM #116
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
22-3-2024 1:00 PM
End Date
22-3-2024 2:15 PM
Abstract
Cerebral palsy (CP) encompasses a range of lifelong neuromuscular disabilities, manifesting as moderate to severe postural and movement-related limitations. Persons with CP experience balance deficits attributed to poor trunk control and pelvic movement asymmetry. This makes them prone to falls, emphasizing the necessity for rehabilitation interventions like treadmill training to enhance movement coordination and balance to elevate their quality of life. A conventional (dry) treadmill variant, aquatic treadmills, has been shown to benefit the CP population, but there is insufficient evidence for its impact on postural control. This study utilized Sample Entropy (SE), a measure of variability, to assess pelvis dynamics in both typically developing (TD) children and those with CP. Both subject groups completed aquatic and dry treadmill trials at a fast, normal, and slow speed based on their self-selected pace. We hypothesized that there would be less pelvic entropy for the CP group compared to the TD group in slow-walking, wet conditions compared to other trials. The mediolateral-(ML) and anteroposterior-(AP) pelvis angles SE results were analyzed with a multilevel model. The results showed a significant model involving speed and environment, with lower entropy at the slow speed (compared to normal and fast) and wet environment (compared to dry) for the ML angles. This result was similar for both groups. For the AP, an interaction effect of environment and speed resulted in low entropy at the wet-slow condition compared to other conditions. This study shows the tenability of aquatic treadmills in improving pelvic control and the postural dynamics of children with CP.
AQUATIC TREADMILL WALKING IMPROVES PELVIC DYNAMICS OF TYPICALLY DEVELOPING AND CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY
CEC RM #116
Cerebral palsy (CP) encompasses a range of lifelong neuromuscular disabilities, manifesting as moderate to severe postural and movement-related limitations. Persons with CP experience balance deficits attributed to poor trunk control and pelvic movement asymmetry. This makes them prone to falls, emphasizing the necessity for rehabilitation interventions like treadmill training to enhance movement coordination and balance to elevate their quality of life. A conventional (dry) treadmill variant, aquatic treadmills, has been shown to benefit the CP population, but there is insufficient evidence for its impact on postural control. This study utilized Sample Entropy (SE), a measure of variability, to assess pelvis dynamics in both typically developing (TD) children and those with CP. Both subject groups completed aquatic and dry treadmill trials at a fast, normal, and slow speed based on their self-selected pace. We hypothesized that there would be less pelvic entropy for the CP group compared to the TD group in slow-walking, wet conditions compared to other trials. The mediolateral-(ML) and anteroposterior-(AP) pelvis angles SE results were analyzed with a multilevel model. The results showed a significant model involving speed and environment, with lower entropy at the slow speed (compared to normal and fast) and wet environment (compared to dry) for the ML angles. This result was similar for both groups. For the AP, an interaction effect of environment and speed resulted in low entropy at the wet-slow condition compared to other conditions. This study shows the tenability of aquatic treadmills in improving pelvic control and the postural dynamics of children with CP.