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%%The assessment of the equinus foot in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) contributes significantly to the identification of musculoskeletal disorders and to the treatment of abnormal gait. Methods. A newly developed Portable Electronic Goniodynamomenter (PEGD) was designed to passively move the ankle joint toward dorsiflexion at speeds imposed through specific software and to provide measurements of range of motion and resistance to movement. A pilot study was conducted on 26 equinus foot to investigate the reliability of the measures provided by the new equipment and by the isokinetic dynamometer in passive mode (IDPM) the method most frequently used in the literature for such measures. The intra- and interclass reliabilities of both devices were checked at three speeds (10, 30 and 60°/sec) to verify which is more reliable for this measurement, and the test results provided by the devices were compared. Results. For PEGD, a high intraclass correlation was found for peak torque and angle of peak torque at a 10°/s passive ankle dorsiflexion, and there was a high interclass correlation for all speeds, tests and variables. The IDPM displayed no agreement in any of the test situations. There was also no correlation between PEGD and IDPM data. Conclusions. PEGD is a portable device able to passively move the ankle joint and provide reliable measurements of range of motion and resistance to dorsiflexion movement at 10°/s.

cerebral palsy; range of movement; resistance to movement