Validity and Reliability The Foot-taping Test in Children With Cerebral Palsy

In spastic cerebral palsy, there are interrelated neuromuscular deficits that can affect ankle joint control, including impaired selective voluntary motor control, muscle weakness, spasticity, and shortened muscle-tendon units. As a result, it is important to assess ankle joint control in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Clinicians need valid, reliable, and practical methods to assess ankle joint control. The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Foot-taping Test in children with spastic cerebral palsy.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

Key information

Conditions

Cerebral Palsy Brain Damage, Chronic Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Muscle Hypertonia Muscle Spasticity Muscular Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Neuromuscular Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

6 year–18 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Department of Orthopedic Prosthesis-Orthosis, Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, Atatürk Health Services Vocational School

Afyonkarahisar, 03030, Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term that refers to a permanent group of movement, posture, and/or motor function disorders caused by a non-progressive lesion or abnormality in the developing immature brain. In spastic cerebral palsy, there are interrelated neuromuscular deficits that can affect ankle joint control, impaired selective voluntary motor control, muscle weakness, spasticity, and shortened muscle-tendon units. As a result, it is important to assess ankle joint control in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Clinicians need valid, reliable, and practical methods to assess ankle joint control. The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Foot-taping Test in children with spastic cerebral palsy. This study will conduct Department of Orthopedic Prosthesis-Orthosis at Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University Atatürk Health Services Vocational School. Children aged 6-18 with spastic cerebral palsy (diparetic and hemiparetic) from two different special education institutions in the Aegean Region will be included in the study.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

≤3 diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy according to the Gross Motor Function and Classification System
Be between 6 and 18 years of age
Be diagnosed with spastic diplegic or spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy
Have a GMFCS score ≤3
Have a Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) score ≤2
Have a Modified Ashworth Scale (MASH) score ≤3 for lower limb muscles
Be able to walk 10 metres independently
Be able to follow verbal commands

Exclusion criteria

The presence of serious hearing, vision or cognitive problems,
The presence of nerve block injections or orthopaedic surgery within the last 6 months (such as Botox injections or muscle lengthening surgery)

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

Foot-Taping Test

Time frame: Two assessors will administer the SAVT to the participants on the first day, two hours apart (first test). The duration of the test is 5 minutes. The retest will be administered 7-10 days after the first test.

For this test, the participant will be asked to strike the floor as quickly as possible for 10 seconds with each bare foot. The number of times the participant taps their foot on the ground within 10 seconds is recorded. The higher the number of times the participant taps their foot, the better their ankle control.
Active Ankle Range of Motion

Time frame: Two assessors will administer the SAVT to the participants on the first day, two hours apart (first test). The duration of the test is 10 minutes.

The participant will be placed supine, and the head of the fibula, lateral malleolus, head of the fifth metatarsal, and base of the fifth metatarsal will be marked. A digital camera will be used to photograph the range of motion of active dorsiflexion and plantar flexion. ImageJ, a software, will be used to measure the ROMs from the images.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Evaluation of the Validity and Reliability The Foot-taping Test in Children With Cerebral Palsy

Important dates

Study start: 2024
Primary completion: 2025
Study completion: 2025
First posted: Jul 29, 2025
Registry last updated: Jul 29, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Active, Not Recruiting