Measures of muscle and joint performance in the lower limb of children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and magnitude of error of three lower-limb clinical measures for children with cerebral palsy (CP): the Modified Ashworth Scale of Spasticity (MAS), passive range of movement (PROM) and the modified Tardieu scale (MTS). Six physiotherapists measured 11 females and seven males (mean age 6 years 4 months, SD 2 years 4 months; age range 2 years 4 months to 10 years) on two occasions using a repeated measures design, collecting all data over 6 days. The severity of CP spanned all five levels of the Gross Motor Function Classification System and all children demonstrated varying degrees of spasticity. Exclusion criteria included botulinum tox..