Natural History of Foot Deformities in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Foot deformities in children with cerebral palsy may result from the interaction of many factors, including muscle spasticity and imbalance, softtissue contractures, bony torsion, and joint instability, all of which occur, for the very young child, within a dynamic context of neurologic maturation and longitudinal growth. Such a complicated scenario makes it difficult to describe the natural history of foot deformity in children with CP. In order to determine the most effective treatment paradigms and critically evaluate their outcomes, such knowledge is essential. Gait maturation in typically developing children occurs from the onset of walking through age 7 years, during which time, the movement, forces, muscle activity, and temporal parameters of gait evolve through predictable patterns of change. The natural history of gait maturation of children with CP does not follow these typical patterns, especially as related to timing. The young child with CP who starts to walk usually has planovalgus feet and equinus. The natural evolution of this deformity is for the foot to improve with less planovalgus and improved heel contact as the child goes through early childhood. Children with better neurologic function, meaning they are able to walk independently, will have a higher degree of improvement in the foot position towards normal and will continue to improve later, up to age 7 years.