MedTrace Logo

Protocol Validation of Dynamometric Measurement of Passive Inter-segmental Stiffness and Spasticity in Children With Cerebral Palsy

NCT04596852 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 85

Last updated 2025-08-24

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Cerebral palsy (CP) refers to a group of movement and posture disorders responsible for activity limitation due to brain damage that occurs during fetal development or during the first year of a child's life.

Given the multitude of treatment options available, the choice of treatment is a key determinant that greatly influences the potential for improvement in motor function. This choice is based in particular on a diagnosis resulting from the comparison of a Clinical Gait Analysis (CGA) and a clinical examination, carried out by a practitioner, aimed at evaluating as accurately as possible the deficiencies present in children with CP.

During the latter examination, passive inter-segmental stiffness and spasticity, both limiting factors in the mobility of the child with CP, are assessed. However, there are significant uncertainties in these measurements, which depend, among other things, on the examiner's feelings. The enrichment of this clinical assessment therefore requires the introduction of quantitative and objective measures. Portable dynamometers are increasingly used to measure the resistance of a joint during passive solicitations.

Thus, both passive inter-segmental stiffness and spasticity can be characterized using instrumental methods. However, in the majority of studies proposed in the literature, the biomechanical computational model used is not unified with that of the CGA, thus altering the approximation of the parameters measured on the table with those estimated during gait. However, in order to evaluate the extent to which these phenomena occur during gait, it is important to follow the same biomechanical calculation procedure.

Thus, our team proposes a new dynamometric measurement protocol for passive inter-segmental stiffness and spasticity adapted to the PC child. Nevertheless, in order to guarantee the reliability of the measurements, manual dynamometric solicitation methods must follow standardized protocols, and their psychometric properties must be defined before they can be used in clinical practice. This is why we wish to study the reliability of this new solution for dynamometric quantification of passive inter-segmental stiffness and spasticity in children with CP.

Conditions

  • Cerebral Palsy

Interventions

DEVICE

Assessment of the reliability of a protocol characterizing intersegmental hyper-resistance to passive stretch

Passive solicitations of the main joints of the lower limb, of healthy children and children with cerebral palsy, are realized by two evaluators with a handheld dynamometer. Repeated measures are performed to assess intra and inter-reliability.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Fondation Ellen Poidatz

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Eric Desailly, PhD · Fondation Ellen Poidatz

Study Design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SCREENING
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
7 Years
Max Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2020-11-02
Primary Completion
2023-11-02
Completion
2025-12-31

Countries

  • France

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04596852 on ClinicalTrials.gov