Kinematic motion abnormalities and bimanual performance in children with unilateral cerebral palsy.

AIM: To evaluate the relationship between the movement abnormalities of the impaired upper limb in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP) and bimanual performance. METHOD: Twenty-three children with unilateral CP (mean age 11y 10mo [SD 2y 8mo]) underwent evaluation of bimanual performance (Assisting Hand Assessment [AHA]) and a three-dimensional movement analysis to measure deviations in the movement of their affected upper limb, and compared with 23 typically developing children (TDC) (mean age 11y 11mo [SD 2y 5mo]). Kinematic indices, such as the Global Arm Profile Score (APS), which summarizes the global movement deviation of the upper limb from the norm, and the Global Arm Variable Score (AVS), which represent movement deviations for a given joint, were calculated and correlated to AHA. RESULTS: Values of kinematic indices were significantly higher in children with unilateral CP than in TDC. A strong correlation between Global-APS and AHA score (r=-0.75) was found. Other significant correlations were found with Global-AVS, especially in distal joints. INTERPRETATION: Children with unilateral CP had more movement deviations than TDC. The global movement deviation of the impaired upper limb was strongly correlated with bimanual performance. The influence of distal abnormalities confirms the importance of considering these limitations in therapeutics. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Children with unilateral cerebral palsy had more movement deviations than typically developing children in unimanual tasks. A strong relationship was found between movement deviations of the impaired upper limb and bimanual performance.

Upper Limb Kinematics Using Inertial and Magnetic Sensors: Comparison of Sensor-to-Segment Calibrations.

Magneto-Inertial Measurement Unit sensors (MIMU) display high potential for the quantitative evaluation of upper limb kinematics, as they allow monitoring ambulatory measurements. The sensor-to-segment calibration step, consisting of establishing the relation between MIMU sensors and human segments, plays an important role in the global accuracy of joint angles. The aim of this study was to compare sensor-to-segment calibrations for the MIMU-based estimation of wrist, elbow, and shoulder joint angles, by examining trueness ("close to the reference") and precision (reproducibility) validity criteria. Ten subjects performed five sessions with three different operators. Three classes of calibrations were studied: segment axes equal to technical MIMU axes (TECH), segment axes generated during a static pose (STATIC), and those generated during functional movements (FUNCT). The calibrations were compared during the maximal uniaxial movements of each joint, plus an extra multi-joint movement. Generally, joint angles presented good trueness and very good precision in the range 5°-10°. Only small discrepancy between calibrations was highlighted, with the exception of a few cases. The very good overall accuracy (trueness and precision) of MIMU-based joint angle data seems to be more dependent on the level of rigor of the experimental procedure (operator training) than on the choice of calibration itself.

Assessment of bimanual performance in 3-D movement analysis: Validation of a new clinical protocol in children with unilateral cerebral palsy.

BACKGROUND: The "Be an Airplane Pilot" (BE-API) protocol is a novel 3-D movement analysis (3DMA) protocol assessing the bimanual performance of children during a game. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of this protocol in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (uCP). METHODS: Angular waveforms (WAVE), maximum angles (MAX) and range of motion (ROM) of the trunk, shoulder, elbow and wrist joints were collected in children with uCP and in typically developing children (TDC) during 4 tasks of the BE-API protocol designed to explore specific degrees of freedom (DoF). The inter-trial reliability for children with uCP was assessed with the coefficient of multiple correlation (CMC) for WAVE and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement (SEM) for MAX and ROM. Clinical performance-based measures, including the Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA) and ABILHAND-Kids scores, were used to explore correlations between clinical measures and kinematic parameters in children with uCP. RESULTS: 20 children with uCP (13 boys; mean age 12.0 [SD 3.2] years) and 20 TDC (11 boys; mean age 11.9 [SD 3.4] years) were included. In children with uCP, most kinematic parameters showed high reliability (WAVE: CMC≥0.82; MAX and ROM: ICC≥0.85, SEM≤4.7°). Elbow extension, forearm supination, and wrist adduction were reduced and wrist flexion was increased for children with uCP versus TDC (P<0.01). In children with uCP, MAX and ROM values were moderately correlated with clinical assessments (AHA score: r=0.48-0.65; ABILHAND-Kids score: r=0.48-0.49). CONCLUSIONS: The BE-API protocol is a 3DMA-bimanual performance-based assessment that is highly reliable in children with uCP. Children with uCP and TDC significantly differed in some clinically relevant kinematic parameters. The BE-API is a promising playful tool, helpful for better understanding upper-limb motor movement abnormalities in bimanual conditions and for tailoring treatments to individual deficits.

Proposal of a new 3D bimanual protocol for children with unilateral cerebral palsy: Reliability in typically developing children.

INTRODUCTION: Quantitative evaluation of upper limb (UL) kinematics in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (uCP) remains challenging for researchers and clinicians, especially during bimanual situations. This study proposed a new 3D bimanual protocol dedicated to children with uCP, called "Be an Airplane Pilot" (BE-API protocol) and assessed its reliability for typically developing children (TDC). METHODS: this protocol is composed of four bimanual tasks that allow the exploration of all degrees of freedom of the hemiplegic/non-dominant UL. Twenty TDC (mean age 11.9 ±â€¯3.4) carried out three protocol sessions. Reliability was investigated through three kinematic parameters: angular waveforms (WAVE) using the coefficient of multiple correlation (CMC), range of motion (RoM) and maximum angles (MAX) both using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and the standard error of measurement (SEM). RESULTS: A very good reliability was observed for the three kinematic parameters in most cases (WAVE: CMC ≥0.90, RoM & MAX: ICC ≥0.81, SEM ≤5.0°). DISCUSSION: the very good reliability can be partly explained by the high level of rigor of the protocol. Such promising results open the door to validation tests on children with uCP. The BE-API protocol could pretend to support clinical decisions by objectively assessing the efficiency of therapeutics, e.g. injection of botulinic toxin.