Walking and Fatigue in People with Cerebral Palsy: Brief Report

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived fatigue and perceptions of walking abilities and difficulty in people with cerebral palsy (CP). Twenty individuals with CP (range 10–21y; mean age 14.8y) who usually walk in the community were recruited. Community mobility was assessed using the Functional Mobility Scale. Participants were asked about their walking ability and frequency, perceived effort during walking (using the Children’s Effort Rating Table), and perceived fatigue (using the Fatigue Impact and Severity Self-Assessment). Community mobility, frequency, and perceived effort during walking were significantly related to fatigue. No relationship was found between time spent walking (maximum walking time) and fatigue. Here we demonstrate that perceived fatigue is related to walking in people with CP.

KEYWORDS:

• Perceived fatigue
• cerebral palsy
• walking
• gait
• perceived effort

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the participants in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Relevant data are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the University of Calgary Program for Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE) and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute Samuel Weiss postdoctoral fellowship.