Balance abilities and gait characteristics in post-traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and typically developed children

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the differences in gait variability and balance performance between children with cerebral palsy (CP), children with post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) and typically developed (TD) children and to determine the association between gait variability and functional balance in these groups. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Physical therapy department of a paediatric and adolescent rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 15 children post-TBI, 15 children with CP and 30 TD age- and sex-matched controls. INTERVENTION: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Step length and step time variability measured by an electronic walkway; timed up and go (TUG) test and functional reach test (FRT) were used as functional balance tests. RESULTS: The functional balance abilities of children post-TBI and children with CP were significantly limited compared to TD children. Children post-TBI had significantly greater variability in step length in comparison to healthy controls. A significant linear inverse correlation between balance performance and step length variability was found only among children with TBI. CONCLUSION: Brain damage is associated with restricted balance performance and increased step variability. It might be that in a child born with brain damage, as opposed to acquired damage, the developmental process has a restraining effect on gait variability.