Muscle performance and gross motor function of children with spastic cerebral palsy.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether, and to what extent, performance on a measure of motor function (Gross Motor Function Measure, GMFM) was related to the physiological fitness of children with cerebral palsy (CP). Two elements of physiological function were measured: aerobic power and anaerobic power of the arms and legs. 15 boys and eight girls aged between seven and 13.9 years with spastic CP participated in the study. There was a good relationship between the standing and walking, running and jumping sub-sections and the total score of the GMFM on one hand, and anaerobic capacity of the legs on the other. However, the relationships for the arms were limited, indicating that the GMFM is not a suitable tool for providing information about aerobic fitness in children with CP, or about anaerobic power of the arms.