Abstract

Background: Balance of the children is greatly compromised in dual-task conditions. In our daily life we perform many dual-tasks. Children with cerebral palsy have difficulty in performing even single-task. To what extend dual-task affects their balance is still not explored widely.

Objective: To identify whether dual-task conditions affect the postural control of children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (SDCP) in order to better address the rehabilitation needs and prevent falls.

Materials and Methods: 83 children (45 children with SDCP and 38 typically developing children) in the age group between 8 and 17 years, participated in this cross-sectional study. Single and dual tasks like standing and serial subtraction in standing postures were administered to the child. Postural sway during single and dual-task conditions was recorded by static posturography.

Results: Median sway velocity moment of the postural sway for single and dual tasks was 70.3 mm²/s and 156 mm²/s for the children with SDCP (p

Key words: Postural balance, Spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, Posturography, Cognitive task.