Análise dos padrões motores de crianças com síndrome de Down na tarefa de subir escadas

Abstract

This study aimed to analyse kinetic and kinematic characteristics of stair ascent in children with Down Syndrome and to compare them with children with typical development. Participated eleven children with Down Syndrome and eleven children with typical development aged between 7 and 10 years old, that were analysed during stair ascending while kinetic and kinematic data were collected and while standing still on a force platform to determine postural control. The results indicated differences among the children with Down Syndrome and the children with typical development, revealing that the children with Down Syndrome present larger time of double support and smaller time of simple support; larger peaks of hip and knee flexion in the swing phase and smaller peaks of dorsiflexion in the stance phase and in the swing phase; smaller applied force on the step in the propulsion phase and larger force of impact pulse in the first ones 50ms; larger oscillation on antero-posterior direction, in the antero-posterior and medio-lateral oscillation velocities and area of the displacement. Whith the correlations, the results indicated that, for the children with syndrome of Down, the postural control is directly related with: the time of double support and the time of the total stance phase; with the time to reach the peak loading response force; with the impact peak in the first 50 ms of the stance phase and finally with the peak of plantar flexion of the ankle; and inversely related with: time of simple support and the time of the swing phase; the magnitude of second peak of force and maximum dorsiflexion peak of the ankle. Those evidences suggest that children with Down Syndrome present a more stable pattern of ascend stair; joint movements of hip and knee above of the necessary and reduced dorsiflexion of the ankle joint; larger impact in the initial contact phase and smaller force to be projected of one step to the other. The postural control of the children with Down Syndrome, with deficits in relation to the children with typical development is related with some characteristics of force and movement in ascend stair.