Ann Rehabil Med.  2021 Jun;45(3):186-196. 10.5535/arm.21004.

Effects of Concurrent Tasks on Gait Performance in Children With Traumatic Brain Injury Versus Children With Typical Development

• Rahman RAA
• Hanapiah FA
• Nikmat AW
• Ismail NA
• Manaf H

• KMID: 2517596
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5535/arm.21004

Abstract

Objective
To investigate how gait parameters in children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) versus typically developing (TD) children are influenced by secondary concurrent tasks and examine the correlations between gait parameters and attention and balance in children with TBI.
Methods
Sixteen children with TBI (mean age, 11.63±1.89 years) and 22 TD controls (mean age, 11.41±2.24 years) participated in this case-control study. Attention and functional balance were measured using the Children’s Color Trail Test (CCTT) and Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS). All participants first walked without concurrent tasks and then with concurrent motor and cognitive tasks. The APDM Mobility Lab was used to measure gait parameters, including gait velocity, stride length, stride duration, cadence, and double support time. Repeatedmeasures analysis of variance and Spearman correlation coefficient were used for the analysis.
Results
Children with TBI showed significantly more deterioration in gait performance than TD children (p<0.05). Concurrent tasks (motor and cognitive) significantly decreased gait velocity and cadence and increased stride time; the differences were more obvious during the concurrent cognitive task. A moderate correlation was found between gait parameters (gait velocity and stride length) and CCTT-2 and PBS scores in children with TBI.
Conclusion
Gait performance may be affected by task complexity following TBI. Attention and balance deficits caused deterioration in gait performance under the concurrent task condition in children with TBI. This study illustrates the crucial role of task demand and complexity in dual-task interference.

Keyword

Attention; Child; Gait; Traumatic brain injuries

Figure

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  Fig. 1. Gait parameters under three different task conditions by group: (A) gait velocity, (B) stride time, (C) stride length, (D) cadence, and (E) double support time. p-values of intergroup comparisons under the three different task conditions. TBI, children with traumatic brain injury; TD, typically developing children.

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