Gait and footwear in children and adolescents with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: A cross-sectional, case-controlled study

Abstract

Objective: Children with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) report problems with gait and footwear. We evaluated differences in spatio-temporal gait variables and gait variability between children with CMT and typically developing (TD) children, and investigated the effect of footwear upon gait. Method: A cross-sectional study of 30 children with CMT and 30 age- and gender-matched TD children aged 4–18 years. Gait was assessed at self-selected speed on an electronic walkway while barefoot and in two types of the child's own footwear; optimal (e.g., athletic-type runners) and suboptimal (e.g., flip-flops). Results: Children with CMT walked more slowly (mean (SD) −13.81 (3.61) cm/s), with short..