USING SURFACE ELECTRODES FOR THE EVALUATION OF THE RECTUS FEMORIS, VASTUS MEDIALIS AND VASTUS LATERALIS MUSCLES IN CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL-PALSY

The purpose of this study was to determine if surface electrodes are a dequate in the determination of the activity patterns of the rectus fe moris, vastus medialis and vastus lateralis in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Ninety patients with a diagnosis of CP underwent electromy ography (EMG) testing. Surface electrodes were placed on the rectus fe moris (RF), hamstrings, vastus medialis (VM) and vastus lateralis (VL) . Muscle isolation tests revealed no cross-talk of the RF muscle on th e vastii electrodes in any subject indicating surface EMG is sufficien t for testing RF, VM and VL function in children. Muscle activation pa tterns during gait showed that the RF and not the VM or VL was active in mid-swing in the majority of cases.