The drawing test: assessment of coordination abilities and correlation with clinical measurement of spasticity.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the correlation between kinematic measures of movement (Drawing Test) and a clinical measure of spasticity (Ashworth Scale).


METHODS
Correlation study of Drawing Test and the Ashworth Scale scores.


METHODS
Inpatient rehabilitation center.


METHODS
Forty-five poststroke hemiplegic subjects with various levels of spasticity (up to Ashworth Scale score of 3) and 8 able-bodied subjects with no sensorimotor deficits in their upper extremities.


METHODS
Subjects made self-paced, radial point-to-point movements between the left, and the right corners of a square (200 x 200 mm) on the surface of a drawing tablet. Hand coordinates were recorded from the mouse, which was attached to the hand.


METHODS
Correlation between (1) Drawing Test scores (time to perform the movement, radial [ y ] and tangential [ x ] distances between the end point of the movement and the target endpoint, standard error of the mean calculated as distances between the recorded path and its radial linear fit), and (2) Ashworth Scale scores.


RESULTS
Drawing Test scores correlated highly with Ashworth Scale scores in 49 of 53 subjects, based on the multiple linear regression analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
The Drawing Test, a quantitative metric of movement ability, correlated highly to the Ashworth Scale, a clinical measure of spasticity.
Eder
Clemens F
CF
Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Denmark.
Popović
Mirjana B
MB
Popović
Dejan B
DB
Stefanović
Aleksandra
A
Schwirtlich
Laszlo
L
Jović
Stevan
S
D000328:Adult; D001259:Ataxia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills; D009128:Muscle Spasticity / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation