Validity and Reliability of the the Timed 360° Turn Test

Overview

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a non-progressive neurodevelopmental disorder that starts in the early stages of life, causes activity limitation, and consists of movement and posture deficiencies. Children with CP usually have difficulties in mobility, transfer and social participation due to many motor and sensory disorders such as muscle weakness, decreased postural control, balance, spasticity. Many children with CP have difficulty in balancing independently, walking, walking on hills/uneven ground, and performing daily physical functions.

Abnormal gait patterns and balance problems are common problems in children with CP. As children get older, these impairments in walking abilities become more pronounced. In addition to all these problems, hypertonus, increased stretch reflex, muscle weakness, coactivation of antagonist muscles, posture disorders, proprioception losses, muscle and joint deformities are other factors that cause gait disorders and balance problems in children with CP. At this point, the main purpose of CP rehabilitation is to ensure that the child gains maximum functional independence by achieving optimal developmental potential. Therefore, balance and gait restrictions are important problems in children with CP. For these reasons, the evaluation of gait and balance is of great importance in terms of determining the effectiveness of the physiotherapy program, shaping the program, planning and determining the effectiveness of orthopedic and surgical applications, especially in children with CP who have walking potential. In the literature, gait pathologies in children with CP and easy-to-use, valid and reliable observational gait analyzes that can evaluate gait in the clinic are emphasized.Gait analysis systems including computerized kinetics and kinematics laboratories, electromyography (EMG) and video imaging are the "gold standard" methods used to evaluate the gait of children with CP. However, these evaluation methods are not routinely used in clinics because they are complex, expensive, time-consuming and not easy to apply. In addition to many gait assessment scales, the standing, walking, running and stair climbing sections of Gross Motor Function Measurement (GMFM) are widely used in the clinic to evaluate gait. In addition to all these, performance tests that are commonly used in the clinic, such as the Timed Sit and Go Test, the Up and Down Stair Climbing Test, the 2 Minute Walk Test, and the 6 Minute Walk Test, evaluate the functionality of gait. All these tests are tests that evaluate gait prospectively and cannot fully address the functional status of the child. Therefore, in order to gain and maintain functional independence, the gait problems of the child with CP need to be examined more. In this respect, it provides a different task than normal with the evaluation of rotation, allowing the observation of body perception, trunk stability, balance, correction and protective reactions provided by anterior-posterior cocontraction. This observation can provide the exact determination of the problem that will guide the treatment. The timed 360° turn test is a standard clinical measure used to evaluate dynamic standing balance. When the literature was reviewed, no study was found about the The timed 360° turn test in children with CP. The aim of the study is to examine the validity and reliability of The timed 360° turn test in children with CP.