Potential predictors of changes in gross motor function during various tasks for children with cerebral palsy: a follow-up study.
Stronger thigh muscles at intake flag which ambulatory kids with CP will gain motor skills over the next three months.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tracked the kids with cerebral palsy who could walk.
They measured knee-muscle strength, balance, and coordination at the start.
Twelve weeks later they tested the same skills again to see who improved.
What they found
Kids with stronger thigh muscles at baseline made small but real gains.
Their balance, two-sided moves, and total motor scores rose the most.
Weaker kids stayed almost the same.
How this fits with other research
Cummings et al. (2024) looked at weight instead of strength.
They found BMI told nothing about motor skill in youth with ID.
The studies seem opposite, but they tested different bodies: CP muscle power matters, while extra weight alone does not.
Perez et al. (2015) used brain scans to predict CP motor change.
MRI signs were only weak clues; knee strength gave a clearer forecast.
Together the papers say: check the legs, not just the scan.
Why it matters
You can spot the kids likely to progress in just one minute with a hand-held dynamometer.
If strength is low, add quad sets, sit-to-stand, or partial squats before chasing big gross-motor goals.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Very few studies have investigated predictors of change in various gross motor outcomes in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy (CP). The aim of this study was to identify potential predictors for change in gross motor outcomes measured during various tasks in children with CP. A group of 45 children (age, 6-15 years) with CP and 7 potential predictors were identified, including age, gender, CP subtypes, gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) levels, abdominal muscle endurance, and muscles strength of knee extensor and knee flexor measured by isokinetic dynanometer. Motor outcome was assessed by means of the gross motor composite (GMC) of Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP), including four gross motor subtests: running speed and agility (RSA), balance (BAL), bilateral coordination (BCO), and strength (STR). The outcomes were measured at baseline and 12-week later (follow-up). The regression analyses showed that knee extensor strength was a robust predictor of change in BAL, BCO, and GMC (adjusted R(2) = 0.07-0.19, P<0.05). Additionally, abdominal muscle strength was a negative predictor for the changes in the RSA (adjusted R(2) = 0.08, P<0.05). However, STR model revealed no significant predictors. These findings suggest that ambulatory children with greater knee muscle strength may benefit more from therapy than those with lower strength. The knee muscle strength can be used as a biomarker to predict the changes in the gross motor functions.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2012.10.009