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Effect of short leg casting on ambulation in children with cerebral palsy.

The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze changes in ambulation between two groups of children with cerebral palsy, with and without short leg casting. Sixteen children with spastic cerebral palsy, aged 10 to 108 months, were assigned randomly to either a short leg casted group or an uncasted group. All children were tested by me, before and after 10 weeks of neurodevelopmental treatment, by recording an ink print ambulation pattern on a length of paper fastened to the floor. Measurements of stride length, stride width, foot angle, and footprint clarity were taken to quantify the ambulation patterns. The percentage of improvement in stride length, stride width, and foot angle was analyzed using a t test, and the percentage of improvement in footprint clarity was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. An alpha level of .05 was assumed to determine whether the differences between groups were large enough to be statistically significant. A significant difference was found in the percentages of improvement in stride length between the two groups, although the other results were nonsignificant. Short leg casting appears to be valuable in the management of spastic hemiplegia, diplegia, and quadriplegia. Clinical observations included improvement in muscle tone, trunk control, and symmetry. These results constitute the first objective measure, using a control group, supporting the therapeutic value of short leg casting for children with cerebral palsy.