Data from: Precision grip control while walking down a step in children with unilateral cerebral palsy

Aim. To compare grip force (GF) and load force (LF) coordination while
walking down a step between children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP)
and typically developing (TD) children. Methods. Twenty-five children with
UCP (age 9.3±1.7 y) and 25 TD controls (age 9.4±2.1 y) walked down a step
while holding a grip-lift manipulandum. Dynamic and temporal variables
were analyzed. The maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) was also assessed.
Results. The temporal course was perturbed mainly in the more affected
hand of children with UCP when compared to TD children because the
increases in GF and LF onset occurred in a reversed order. Compared with
the TD controls, the children with UCP presented higher LF values on both
hands and a higher GF on the less affected hand. In children with UCP, the
GF to LF adaptation was adequate on the less affected hand but
overestimated on the more affected hand. Furthermore, children with UCP
presented a lower MVC in the more affected hand, leading to a higher
percentage of MVC used during the task. Interpretation. Our findings
highlight an anticipatory control of precision grip during a stepping down
task in children with UCP that is adequate for the less affected hand but
altered for the more affected hand.