Pelvic Symmetry Is Influenced by Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex during Young Children’s Gait

Ewa Gieysztor, Anna Pecuch, Mateusz Kowal, Wojciech Borowicz and Małgorzata Paprocka-Borowicz
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Ewa Gieysztor: Physiotherapy Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-355 Wroclaw, Poland
Anna Pecuch: Physiotherapy Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-355 Wroclaw, Poland
Mateusz Kowal: Physiotherapy Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-355 Wroclaw, Poland
Wojciech Borowicz: Department of Nervous System Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Małgorzata Paprocka-Borowicz: Physiotherapy Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-355 Wroclaw, Poland

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-12

Abstract: Gait is one of the examined functions in child development. It should be economical and symmetrical. One test increasingly used by physiotherapists and pediatricians is asymmetrical tonic neck reflex (ATNR). Physiologically, it is observed from in utero up to six postnatal months. This reaction is inhibited with the growing maturation of the central nervous system (CNS). In some children, when the natural process of development is incorrect, ATNR manifests later in life, when it is observed as an automatic response of muscle tension to head rotation. Analysis of pelvis symmetry in the gait of children with active ATNR is important for better understanding their specific movements. In the gait of children with persistent ATNR, some variations are observed. The aim of the study was to investigate the gait symmetry of preschool children and the influence of persistent ATNR. Fifty preschool children with a trace form of ATNR were examined. The distribution of the gait parameters was determined using a BTS G-SENSOR measurement instrument. ATNR negatively influences pelvic obliquity and pelvic rotation ( p < 0.01). Younger children have a statistically higher symmetry index of pelvis obliquity in the examined group ( p = 0.015). Boys obtain a higher result of symmetry in pelvic tilt than girls in the group ( p = 0.027). ATNR affects walking symmetry in preschool children, thus evaluation of the reflex activity and then proper therapy is required to support proper development.

Keywords: gait symmetry; pelvic symmetry; preschool children; neurodevelopment; asymmetrical tonic neck reflex (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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