Pediatric Gait Analysis And Orthotic Management: A Segmental Kinematic Approach to Rehabilitation

Pediatric Gait Analysis And Orthotic Management: A Segmental Kinematic Approach to Rehabilitation is organized by Texas Children's Hospital and will be held during Feb 18 - 20, 2018 at Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands (Inpatient & Emergency), The Woodlands, Texas, United States of America. This CME Conference has been approved for a maximum of 18.75 Credits.

Course Description:
The course is intended primarily for paediatric physiotherapists, orthotists and other professionals working in the field of paediatric gait rehabilitation. It is also highly relevant to physiotherapists, orthotists and others working in the fields of adult neurology and adult learning disability.

The course explores a fresh approach to the observation and analysis of normal walking and standing, and the classification and management of gait disorders. The biomechanics of normal walking and standing, and the pathological gaits of disabling conditions will be extensively reviewed, with particular reference to orthotic management. Pre-gait analysis and orthotic management assessment will be demonstrated. The emphasis of patient cases will focus on cerebral palsy, myelomeningocoele and other neurological conditions. Participants will gain knowledge of the aims of orthotic management and how to achieve them through: the biomechanics of ankle-foot orthoses, the influence of footwear, varieties of AFO Footwear Combination design, tuning AFO Footwear Combinations to optimise gait and extensive video examples. In addition live patient demonstrations will help participants refine their clinical decision making skills involved in gait analysis and orthotic design.

Each delegate will receive an illustrated course manual, which includes extensive reference lists and directions for further reading, and a CD containing additional information and proformas.

Course Objectives :
At the end of the course participants should be able to:
• Describe kinematic analysis of standing, stepping and the divisions of the normal gait cycle, with equal emphasis on movements of the joints and movements of segments relative to the vertical.
• Describe kinetic analysis of standing, stepping and the divisions of the normal gait cycle and the interaction of kinematics with kinetics
• Describe and discuss the kinematics and kinetics of pathological standing and gaits, gait deviations at segments and joints and categorisation of pathological gaits by segment deviation.
• Demonstrate clinical assessment prior to gait analysis and orthotic provision; including joint ranges, bony torsions, muscle lengths, strengths and tone.
• Distinguish the assessments required to decide on the optimum sagittal angle of the ankle in an AFO and demonstrate the use of a clinical algorithm.
• Distinguish the assessments required to determine suitability for a dorsiflexion free AFO and demonstrate the use of a clinical algorithm.
• Distinguish and discuss the biomechanics of a wide variety of AFO and footwear design.
• Use a clinical algorithm, based on categorisation of pathological gait by segment deviation in order to facilitate decision making for optimal design of ‘AFO footwear combinations’ for a variety of gait disorders.
• Discuss kinematic and kinetic principles of designing, aligning and tuning ‘AFO footwear combinations’ through gait analysis, in order to optimize their effect at segments and joints in each of the divisions of the gait cycle.
• Perform kinematic and kinetic tuning of ‘AFO footwear combinations’ using slow motion video analysis or combined kinematic and kinetic gait analysis.