Medial gastrocnemius specific force of adult men with spastic cerebral palsy

INTRODUCTION Muscle weakness determines functional impairment in spastic cerebral palsy (SCP). Measurement of specific force (SF) allows for strength comparison with unimpaired populations (controls) accounting for neural (activation and coactivation), architectural (fascicle length and pennation angle), and structural differences (moment arm length). METHODS Medial gastrocnemius (MG) SF (and its determinants) was assessed in both paretic and non-paretic legs of 11 men with SCP and 11 age-matched controls during plantarflexion maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). RESULTS SCP fascicles were 28% longer than control fascicles (P < 0.05). Pennation angle of SCP patients was 41% smaller than in controls. The physiological cross-sectional area of SCP MG patients was 47% smaller than in controls (P < 0.05). There was no difference in SF between controls and SCP patients. CONCLUSIONS Weakness in SCP is primarily attributable to deficits in agonist activation and muscle size; consequently, SF measured in the MG is similar between SCP and controls. Muscle Nerve 56: 298-306, 2017.