Age- and sex-related differences in upper-body joint and endpoint kinematics during a drinking task in healthy adults.

Background: The objective kinematic assessments of activities of daily living are desired. However, the limited knowledge regarding age- and sex-related differences prevents the adaptation of these measurements to clinical settings and in-home exercises. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effects of age and sex on joint and endpoint kinematics during a common activity of daily living, specifically, drinking from a glass. Methods: In total, 32 healthy adults (18 males and 14 females) aged 22-77 years performed a drinking task comprising reaching for a glass, bringing it forward and sipping, returning it, and placing the hand back to the starting position, which was recorded using a three-dimensional motion-capturing system. A two-way analysis of variance was used to statistically compare joint angles at five different time points and endpoint kinematic variables in the four drinking phases between older and younger age groups and sexes. Results: Wrist radial deviation was greater in older adults than in younger participants at all five different time points (F = 5.16-7.34, p ≤ 0.03, η2 = 0.14-0.21). Moreover, lesser shoulder abduction and greater shoulder internal rotation and forearm pronation when moving and returning the hand to the starting position were observed in the female group than in the male group (F = 4.21-20.03, p ≤ 0.0497, η2 = 0.13-0.41). Trunk flexion was lower in the female group than in the male group at all time points (F = 4.25-7.13, p ≤ 0.0485, η2 = 0.12-0.19). Regarding endpoint kinematics, the performance time in the reaching phase was longer in older adults than in younger individuals (F = 4.96, p = 0.03, η2 = 0.14). Furthermore, a shorter time while returning the hand to the starting position was observed in the female group than in the male group (F = 9.55, p < 0.01, η2 = 0.22). Conclusions: The joint kinematics of drinking were partially characterized by an age effect, whereas endpoint kinematics were scattered in all drinking phases. Sex-related effects in most upper-body motions and postures may cause rapid motions in females. Therefore, clinicians could use this knowledge for precise assessments and to suggest feasible in-home exercises.

Effect of age on upper limb, neck, and trunk kinematics during activities of daily living.

Motion analysis during activities of daily living has been conducted in numerous studies. However, information is lacking regarding age-related differences that affect clinical assessment and treatment goals. This study aimed to examine the effect of age on kinematics during activities of daily living. Three-dimensional motions of the shoulder, elbow, neck, and trunk of 12 younger adults (age, 29.8 ± 5.4 years; 7 men and 5 women) and 10 older adults (age, 69.5 ± 4.9 years; 6 men and 4 women) were measured during the acts of reaching for a table, bringing a glass to the mouth for drinking, wiping the buttocks, tying shoelaces, washing hair, washing the axilla, reaching for a high shelf, and reaching for the floor. The ranges of motion and sequential joint angles were compared between age groups by using discrete analysis and statistical parametric mapping, respectively. The ranges of motion of all joint angles in older and younger adults were comparable in the drinking, washing hair, washing the axilla, and reaching for the floor tasks. Statistical parametric mapping indicated that older adults had significantly poorer neck extension than did younger adults during the drinking (67-92% cycle time) and tying shoelaces (64-95% cycle time) tasks. Kinematics were mostly maintained in healthy older adults during activities of daily living. However, reduced motions were confirmed later during some tasks. The results indicated that existing knowledge combined with the current findings, which take age into account, could be used in clinical settings to assess the kinematics of activities of daily living and set treatment goals.

Exploring whole-body kinematics when eating real foods with the dominant hand in healthy adults.

Despite the importance of eating movements to the rehabilitation of neurological patients, information regarding the normal kinematics of eating in a realistic setting is limited. We aimed to quantify whole-body three-dimensional kinematics among healthy individuals by assessing movement patterns in defined phases while eating real food with the dominant hand in a seated position. Our cross-sectional study included 45 healthy, right-hand dominant individuals with a mean age of 27.3 ± 5.1 years. Whole-body kinematics (joint angles of the upper limb, hip, neck, and trunk) were captured using an inertial sensor motion system. The eating motion was divided into four phases for analysis: reaching, spooning, transport, and mouth. The mean joint angles were compared among the phases with Friedman's analysis of variance. The maximum angles through all eating phases were 129.0° of elbow flexion, 32.4° of wrist extension, 50.4° of hip flexion, 6.8° of hip abduction, and 0.2° of hip rotation. The mean shoulder, elbow, and hip joint flexion angles were largest in the mouth phase, with the smallest being the neck flexion angle. By contrast, in the spooning phase, the shoulder, elbow, and hip flexion were the smallest, with the largest being the neck flexion angle. These angles were significantly different between the mouth and spooning phases (p < 0.008, Bonferroni post hoc correction). Our results revealed that characteristic whole-body movements correspond to each phase of realistic eating in healthy individuals. This study provides useful kinematic data regarding normal eating movements, which may inform whole-body positioning and movement, improve the assessment of eating abilities in clinical settings, and provide a basis for future studies.

Influence of Gender Differences on Range of Motion and Joint Angles During Eating in Young, Healthy Japanese Adults.

OBJECTIVE: Eating is important in rehabilitation and is evaluated using joint angles that serve as kinematic information. Joint angles of the upper extremities during eating have been reported for men and for women; however, no study has investigated these joint angles in terms of gender differences. At present, no information is available on gender differences as individual factors of upper extremity joint angles during eating. Therefore, the present study investigated gender differences in upper limb joint angles during eating tasks involving a spoon or chopsticks. METHODS: We examined eating motions in 12 healthy Japanese men and 13 healthy Japanese women (aged 20-39 years) and compared the two groups. Motions were assessed using inertial sensors and three-dimensional motion analysis. RESULTS: We established, separately for men and women, the maximum angle and the range of motion (RoM) for each upper limb joint. Women generally had greater RoMs for all upper limb joints than men did. When subjects used a spoon, statistically significant differences and large effect sizes were observed for the maximum elbow joint flexion angle and the RoMs of the shoulder joint in abduction, flexion, and internal rotation. When subjects used chopsticks, statistically significant differences and large effect sizes were observed for maximum angles of shoulder joint internal rotation, elbow joint flexion, and wrist joint radial flexion and for the RoM of shoulder joint abduction. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that there are significant gender differences in upper limb joint angles during eating, and that these differences are influenced by numerous factors.