ArticleJournal of children's orthopaedics2015
Effects of ankle-foot braces on medial gastrocnemius morphometrics and gait in children with cerebral palsy.
Article in Journal of children's orthopaedics, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Acute passive stretching has no effect on gastrocnemius medialis stiffness in children with unilateral cerebral palsy.European journal of applied physiology · 2023Trial
- Acute Effects of Static and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Stretching of the Plantar Flexors on Ankle Range of Motion and Muscle-Tendon Behavior in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy-A Randomized Clinical Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Influence of Immobilization, Stretching, and Activity on Isometric Muscle Strength and Gait in Young People with Spastic Cerebral Palsy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Influence of Immobilization, Stretching, and Activity on the Morphological Properties of Spastic Gastrocnemius Muscles.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Neuromuscular contributions to disability in children with cerebral palsy and the impact of dynamic stretching orthoses and therapeutic exercise interventions: a narrative review.Translational pediatrics · 2024Review
- A comprehensive normative reference database of muscle morphology in typically developing children aged 3-18 years-a cross-sectional ultrasound study.Journal of anatomy · 2023Article
- Mechanical and Morphological Changes of the Plantar Flexor Musculotendinous Unit in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy Following 12 Weeks of Plyometric Exercise: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Muscle architecture, growth, and biological Remodelling in cerebral palsy: a narrative review.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2022Review
- Stimuli for Adaptations in Muscle Length and the Length Range of Active Force Exertion-A Narrative Review.Frontiers in physiology · 2021Review
- Impact of Altered Gastrocnemius Morphometrics and Fascicle Behavior on Walking Patterns in Children With Spastic Cerebral Palsy.Frontiers in physiology · 2020Article
- Joint and Muscle Assessments of the Separate Effects of Botulinum NeuroToxin-A and Lower-Leg Casting in Children With Cerebral Palsy.Frontiers in neurology · 2020Article
- Stretching Interventions in Children With Cerebral Palsy: Why Are They Ineffective in Improving Muscle Function and How Can We Better Their Outcome?Frontiers in physiology · 2020Review
- Comprehensive evaluation of gait, spasticity, and muscle morphology: A case report of a child with spastic paresis treated with Botulinum NeuroToxin-A, serial casting, and physiotherapy.Clinical case reports · 2019Article
- Comparison of gait with and without ankle-foot orthoses after lower limb surgery in children with unilateral cerebral palsy.Journal of children's orthopaedics · 2019Article
- Resistance Training Combined With Stretching Increases Tendon Stiffness and Is More Effective Than Stretching Alone in Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2019Article
- Medial gastrocnemius structure and gait kinetics in spastic cerebral palsy and typically developing children: A cross-sectional study.Medicine · 2018Observational
- Neuro-musculoskeletal simulation of instrumented contracture and spasticity assessment in children with cerebral palsy.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeIn children with cerebral palsy (CP), braces are used to counteract progressive joint and muscle contracture and improve function. We examined the effects of positional ankle-foot braces on contracture of the medial gastrocnemius (MG) and gait in children with CP while referencing to typically developing children.
methodsSeventeen independently ambulant children with CP and calf muscle contracture (age 10.4 ± 3.0y) and 17 untreated typically developing peers (age 9.5 ± 2.6y) participated. Children with CP were analysed before and 16 ± 4 weeks after ankle-foot bracing. MG muscle belly length and thickness, tendon and fascicle length, as well as their extensibility were captured by 2D ultrasound and 3D motion capturing during passive, manually applied stretches. In addition, 3D gait analysis was conducted.
resultsPrior to bracing, the MG muscle-tendon unit in children with CP was 22 % less extensible. At matched amounts of muscle-tendon unit stretch, the muscle belly and fascicles in CP were 7 % and 14 % shorter while the tendon was 11 % longer. Spastic fascicles displayed 32 % less extensibility than controls. Brace wear increased passive dorsiflexion primarily with the knees flexed. During gait, children walked faster and foot lift in swing improved. MG muscle belly and tendon length showed little change, but fascicles further shortened (-11 %) and muscle thickness (-8 %) decreased.
conclusionsUse of ankle-foot braces improves function but may lead to a loss of sarcomeres in series, which could explain the shortened fascicles. To potentially induce gastrocnemius muscle growth, braces may also need to extend the knee or complementary training may be necessary to offset the immobilizing effects of braces.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.