title: Influences of a hand positioning device on upper-extremity control of children with cerebral palsy.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a hand positioning device on aspects of upper-extremity movement control and muscular activity during a reaching task, and on visual-motor performance in a group of ten children with cerebral palsy. A three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis tracking system was used to monitor hand movement. The 3D path length, movement latency, movement time, average velocity, and the number of accelerations and decelerations (movement units) were measured. Muscle onset latencies of the anterior deltoid, triceps, brachioradialis, extensor carpi radialis, and flexor carpi ulnaris muscles were recorded by electromyography (EMG). A pencil-paper test specifically designed for this study was used to evaluate visual-motor function. Each subject was tested under two conditions (device on and device off). No significant results were found by comparing any parameter between conditions for all subjects combined, however, individual subject data revealed a trend towards an increased number of movement units, slower movement times, and decreased average velocity during the 'on' condition as compared to the 'off' condition. The average onset latencies for the EMG activity of the arm muscles showed differences between the on and off conditions, showing a more normalized muscle activation pattern for the 'on' condition. Furthermore, individual data inspection showed improved performance in the test of visual-motor function during the 'on' as compared to 'off' condition for most subjects. The potential clinical impact of the use of the device for some children with cerebral palsy, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sochaniwskyj
mesh_terms: D001132:Arm / Q000502:physiology*; D001915:Braces; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement; D011187:Posture; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012656:Self-Help Devices