Trunk and hip muscle activity in early walkers with and without cerebral palsy – A frequency analysis

Poor control of postural muscles is a primary impairment in cerebral palsy (CP), yet core trunk and hip muscle activity has not been thoroughly investigated. Frequency analysis of electromyographic (EMG) signals provides insight about the intensity and pattern of muscle activation, correlates with functional measures in CP, and is sensitive to change after intervention. The objective of this study was to investigate differences in trunk and hip muscle activation frequency in children with CP compared to children with similar amounts of walking experience and typical development (TD). EMG data from 31 children (15 with CP, 16 with TD) were recorded from 16 trunk and hip muscles bilaterally. A time–frequency pattern was generated using the continuous wavelet transform and instantaneous mean frequency (IMNF) was calculated at each interval of the gait cycle. Functional principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that IMNF was significantly higher in the CP group throughout the gait cycle for all muscles. Additionally, stride-to-stride variability was higher in the CP group. This evidence demonstrated altered patterns of trunk and hip muscle activation in CP, including increased rates of motor unit firing, increased number of recruited motor units, and/or decreased synchrony of motor units. These altered muscle activation patterns likely contribute to muscle fatigue and decreased biomechanical efficiency in children with CP.