Cerebral palsy (CP) is a major cause of disability. Many children with CP develop foot deformities as they grow and these can become painful, adversely affecting their quality of life. The research team has previously studied foot morphology and biomechanics, including analysis of the subtalar joint and has successfully located the joint axis from MRI scans. In this project 25 children will be recruited (15 children with CP and 10 unimpaired control subjects). Each child will attend for a single visit, when they will undergo an MRI scan (with the foot loaded and unloaded) to measure the morphology of the ankle and foot, in particular the subtalar axis alignment. This has not been done before in CP. Each child will have an instrumented gait analysis and musculoskeletal modelling techniques will be used to study the biomechanical action of the external ground reaction force and internal muscle forces. The potential of these forces to rotate the subtalar joint and deform the foot will be assessed, resulting in new insights into potential mechanisms of foot deformity. The children will then be categorised to identify those most at risk, leading to personalised screening measures and treatment strategies in the future.
Age range
7 Years – 16 Years
Sex
ALL
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External loading on the subtalar joint (Measured as a moment in units of Nm)
Timeframe: At baseline
Internal loading on the subtalar joint (Measured as a moment in units of Nm)
Timeframe: At baseline