Sit-to-stand movement in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy: relationship with knee extensor torque and social participation.
Weak knee muscles in hemiplegic CP block both standing up and joining friends.
01Research in Context
What this study did
dos Santos et al. (2013) watched kids with hemiplegic cerebral palsy stand up from a chair.
They measured knee strength and tracked how the children moved.
They also asked parents how often the kids joined play, sports, and family outings.
What they found
The children’s weak knee muscles made standing up slow and awkward.
These same kids also joined fewer games and trips than their peers.
Weak strength, poor movement, and low social fun all clustered together.
How this fits with other research
Pavão et al. (2014) saw the same clumsy sit-to-stand in mild CP, showing the link is not just for hemiplegia.
Razuk et al. (2018) later counted home and community play across all CP types and found the same gap, widening the participation picture.
Tseng et al. (2011) already showed motor severity drives daily skills; Neves narrows the driver to one key muscle group.
Why it matters
If knee strength shapes both standing and social life, you have a clear target.
Add knee-extensor drills to standing practice and watch participation, not just posture.
Track play dates, park visits, or PE minutes as your real-world outcome.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sit-to-stand (STS) movement, knee extensor torque and social participation in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Seven spastic hemiplegic CP patients (8.0 ± 2.2 years), classified by the Gross Motor Function Classification System as I and II, and 18 typical children (8.4 ± 2.3 years) participated in this study. Trunk, hips, knees, and ankles angles and temporal variables of STS movement were obtained by means of kinematics evaluation. Isokinetic evaluation was performed at 60°/s in the concentric passive mode to measure knee extensors torque. Social participation was assessed by the Assessment of Life Habits for Children (LIFE-H) scale. Results showed that children with spastic hemiplegic CP have lower knee extensor torque in the affected limb and restriction in social participation in dimensions related with fine motor control and language skills when compared to their typical peers. Except for ankle excursion in frontal plane, and ankle excursion and range in transverse plane, patients were similar to typical children regarding the strategies adopted to perform the STS movement, as well as in the participation dimensions related with gross motor function. Moreover, we found a significant non-linear correlation between knee extensors torque and some lower limb and trunk angles for children with CP. Therefore, during evaluation and rehabilitation processes, impairments in body functions and structures should be related with how much they affect a child's ability to perform functional activities, so rehabilitation protocols could be focused on individual needs.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.03.021