Muscle Shortening and Spastic Cocontraction in Gastrocnemius Medialis and Peroneus Longus in Very Young Hemiparetic Children

Figure 5

Scatter plot and Spearman correlation coefficient of ankle dorsal flexion and age. , angle of arrest at slow speed, is taken as a clinical estimate of the passive extensibility of the gastrosoleus complex (GSC) which is constituted by one monoarticular muscle, the soleus (SOL), and two biarticular muscles, the gastrocnemius medialis and lateralis. of soleus (monoarticular muscle) is assessed in knee flexed; of GSC (biarticular muscle) is assessed in knee extended. The linear regressions (Spearman rank correlation) between age and of paretic side are statistically significant for SOL ( = −0.74; ) and GSC ( = −0.72; ). In the nonparetic side, the correlations are not significant: SOL ( = +0.18; ) and GSC ( = +0.26; ). The ankle plantar flexor extensibility of the hemiparetic side decreased with age meaning an early stiffness of GSC. Note: there are no 20 points on each scatter plot because there is only 5 values for SOL and 4 values for GSC; moreover there are superpositions because some children are the same age (Table 1). For the same age, is equal between paretic and nonparetic: 5 children for SOL and GSC.

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