UNLABELLED: Trunk control may influence self-care, mobility, and participation, as well as how children living with cerebral palsy (CP) move around. Mobility and Gross Motor performance are described over environmental factors, while locomotion can be understood as the intrinsic ontogenetic automatic postural function of the central nervous system, and could be the underlying element explaining the relationship between these factors. Our goal is to study the correlation among Trunk Control Measurement Scale (TCMS) and Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) domains, as well as Locomotor Stages (LS). METHODS: A feasibility observational analysis was designed including 25 children with CP who were assessed with these scales. RESULTS: The strong correlation confirms higher levels of trunk control in children with better self-care, mobility and participation capacities. Strong correlations indicate also that higher LS show better levels of PEDI and TCMS domains. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that more mature LS require higher levels of trunk control, benefitting self-care, mobility and social functions.

Department of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine 2nd Medical Faculty Charles University and Motol University Hospital 150 06 Prague Czech Republic

Physiotherapy Department Evangelisches Krankenhaus Düsseldorf Sozialpädiatrisches Zentrum 40217 Düsseldorf Germany

Queen Square Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases University College London and National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery Queen Square London WC1N 3BG UK

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