Effects of a Pelvic-Knee Elastic Band for Inducing Pelvic Posterior Tilt on Plantar Surface, Pressure, and Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters During Standing and Walking in Adolescents with Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy

Objective: : Individuals with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy often exhibit impaired postural control and abnormal gait patternsowing to excessive anterior pelvic tilt and lower limb spasticity. This study aimed to investigate changes in plantar pressure andgait during static and dynamic postural adjustments in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy wearing pelvic-knee elasticbands. Design: A cross-sectional studyMethods: This cross-sectional study included ten adolescents with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Plantar pressure and gaitparameters were assessed using the FreeMedFM platform, with and without a pelvic-knee elastic band. Measurements wereperformed thrice during standing and walking. The analyzed variables included plantar surface, pressure distribution, andspatiotemporal gait parameters. Results: After applying the pelvic-knee elastic band, significant increases were observed in total surface area, total load, andrearfoot surface area during standing. Changes were observed in all the plantar pressure variables during walking; however, nonewere statistically significant. However, the average step length decreased significantly after wearing the elastic band. Conclusions: Application of a pelvic-knee elastic band influenced plantar pressure distribution and gait parameters duringstanding and walking in adolescents with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. These findings suggest that pelvic-knee elastic bands maycontribute to postural control adjustments. However, further research with a larger sample size and diverse environmentalconditions is required to validate these effects.