Particularities of Upper Limb Movements of Healthy and Pathologic Subjects

2013 ◽  
Vol 430 ◽  
pp. 203-207
Author(s):  
Mirela Toth-Taşcău ◽  
Flavia Bălănean ◽  
Dan Ioan Stoia

The paper presents a comparative study of the kinematic parameters of the upper limbs of one healthy subject and one patient with lateral distal humerus implant. This study aims to identify the movement patterns of the upper limb joints, having a particular interest in elbow joint, due to the patients pathology. Both subjects have been recorded in identical conditions, performing the same exercise what simulates one of the common daily activities. The kinematic parameters which have been analyzed were flexion-extension and abduction-adduction in shoulder joint and flexion-extension of the elbow joint. The joint angles have been averaged per each valid trial and exercise. The comparison of the joint angle variation was performed in terms of normalized time. Standard deviation was computed to evaluate the variability of joint angles. Movement symmetry between left and right arms was evaluated by computing the p-values of the averaged series.

2014 ◽  
Vol 601 ◽  
pp. 163-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirela Toth-Taşcău ◽  
Dan Ioan Stoia ◽  
Flavia Bălănean

The main objective of the study consists in determination of the most appropriate sampling rate of the measurements in instrumented kinematic analysis of the upper limb movements. The measuring system involved in the study is Zebris CMS-HS Measuring System, whose configuration was defined by ultrasound markers attached to specific body sites. The sampling rate interval was set from 10 to 25 Hz, according to the system’s range of frequencies. The kinematic parameters which have been analyzed are shoulder and elbow flexion-extension and shoulder abduction-adduction. A comparative kinematical analysis of the angle variations of flexion-extension and abduction-adduction in shoulder joint and flexion-extension in elbow joint was performed for both left and right upper limbs at each sampling rate.


Robotica ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. H. Rahman ◽  
M. J. Rahman ◽  
O. L. Cristobal ◽  
M. Saad ◽  
J. P. Kenné ◽  
...  

SUMMARYTo assist physically disabled people with impaired upper limb function, we have developed a new 7-DOF exoskeleton-type robot named Motion Assistive Robotic-Exoskeleton for Superior Extremity (ETS-MARSE) to ease daily upper limb movements and to provide effective rehabilitation therapy to the superior extremity. The ETS-MARSE comprises a shoulder motion support part, an elbow and forearm motion support part, and a wrist motion support part. It is designed to be worn on the lateral side of the upper limb in order to provide naturalistic movements of the shoulder (vertical and horizontal flexion/extension and internal/external rotation), elbow (flexion/extension), forearm (pronation/supination), and wrist joint (radial/ulnar deviation and flexion/extension). This paper focuses on the modeling, design, development, and control of the ETS-MARSE. Experiments were carried out with healthy male human subjects in whom trajectory tracking in the form of passive rehabilitation exercises (i.e., pre-programmed trajectories recommended by a therapist/clinician) were carried out. Experimental results show that the ETS-MARSE can efficiently perform passive rehabilitation therapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 3452-3457
Author(s):  
Stefka Mindova ◽  
◽  
Nikolai Koev ◽  

Of the large joints in the human body, the elbow joint is the most complicated from an anatomical and functional point of view. Its structure and function are such that they make it particularly sensitive to injuries, after which in many cases there is a permanent loss of movement. Elbow fractures rate is about 5.5% of all musculoskeletal system fractures. The most common are fractures of the radial head (2.8%), followed by those of olecranon (1%) and the distal part of the humerus (0.5%). Elbow fractures are one of the most difficult injuries to the upper limb to treat and physiotherapy. There are a number of contradictions regarding the most accurate method of treatment and model of recovery, because unlike the shoulder, in the elbow joint even the smallest incongruity in the joint surfaces lead to loss of movement, and prolonged immobilization - to joint contractures. The functional insufficiency of the elbow complex leads to the impossibility of self-service and work. One-third of the fractures of the elbow joint affect the distal humerus. The mechanism of injury is a fall on a stretched upper limb or a direct blow to the elbow.


Author(s):  
Anne Schwarz ◽  
Janne M. Veerbeek ◽  
Jeremia P. O. Held ◽  
Jaap H. Buurke ◽  
Andreas R. Luft

Background: Deficits in interjoint coordination, such as the inability to move out of synergy, are frequent symptoms in stroke subjects with upper limb impairments that hinder them from regaining normal motor function. Kinematic measurements allow a fine-grained assessment of movement pathologies, thereby complementing clinical scales, like the Fugl–Meyer Motor Assessment of the Upper Extremity (FMMA-UE). The study goal was to investigate the effects of the performed task, the tested arm, the dominant affected hand, upper limb function, and age on spatiotemporal parameters of the elbow, shoulder, and trunk. The construct validity of the metrics was examined by relating them with each other, the FMMA-UE, and its arm section.Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study including chronic stroke patients with mild to moderate upper limb motor impairment. Kinematic measurements were taken using a wearable sensor suit while performing four movements with both upper limbs: (1) isolated shoulder flexion, (2) pointing, (3) reach-to-grasp a glass, and (4) key insertion. The kinematic parameters included the joint ranges of shoulder abduction/adduction, shoulder flexion/extension, and elbow flexion/extension; trunk displacement; shoulder–elbow correlation coefficient; median slope; and curve efficiency. The effects of the task and tested arm on the metrics were investigated using a mixed-model analysis. The validity of metrics compared to clinically measured interjoint coordination (FMMA-UE) was done by correlation analysis.Results: Twenty-six subjects were included in the analysis. The movement task and tested arm showed significant effects (p < 0.05) on all kinematic parameters. Hand dominance resulted in significant effects on shoulder flexion/extension and curve efficiency. The level of upper limb function showed influences on curve efficiency and the factor age on median slope. Relations with the FMMA-UE revealed the strongest and significant correlation for curve efficiency (r = 0.75), followed by shoulder flexion/extension (r = 0.68), elbow flexion/extension (r = 0.53), and shoulder abduction/adduction (r = 0.49). Curve efficiency additionally correlated significantly with the arm subsection, focusing on synergistic control (r = 0.59).Conclusion: The kinematic parameters of the upper limb after stroke were influenced largely by the task. These results underpin the necessity to assess different relevant functional movements close to real-world conditions rather than relying solely on clinical measures.Study Registration: clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT03135093 and BASEC-ID 2016-02075.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michela Goffredo ◽  
Sanaz Pournajaf ◽  
Stefania Proietti ◽  
Annalisa Gison ◽  
Federico Posteraro ◽  
...  

Background: The efficacy of upper-limb Robot-assisted Therapy (ulRT) in stroke subjects is well-established. The robot-measured kinematic data can assess the biomechanical changes induced by ulRT and the progress of patient over time. However, literature on the analysis of pre-treatment kinematic parameters as predictive biomarkers of upper limb recovery is limited.Objective: The aim of this study was to calculate pre-treatment kinematic parameters from point-to-point reaching movements in different directions and to identify biomarkers of upper-limb motor recovery in subacute stroke subjects after ulRT.Methods: An observational retrospective study was conducted on 66 subacute stroke subjects who underwent ulRT with an end-effector robot. Kinematic parameters were calculated from the robot-measured trajectories during movements in different directions. A Generalized Linear Model (GLM) was applied considering the post-treatment Upper Limb Motricity Index and the kinematic parameters (from demanding directions of movement) as dependent variables, and the pre-treatment kinematic parameters as independent variables.Results: A subset of kinematic parameters significantly predicted the motor impairment after ulRT: the accuracy in adduction and internal rotation movements of the shoulder was the major predictor of post-treatment Upper Limb Motricity Index. The post-treatment kinematic parameters of the most demanding directions of movement significantly depended on the ability to execute elbow flexion-extension and abduction and external rotation movements of the shoulder at baseline.Conclusions: The multidirectional analysis of robot-measured kinematic data predicts motor recovery in subacute stroke survivors and paves the way in identifying subjects who may benefit more from ulRT.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Uzair Kashtwari ◽  
Norsinnira Zainul Azlan ◽  
Ifrah Shahdad

Many people all around the world are suffering from various types of disabilities and need to depend on others to perform activities of daily living. One of the essential daily living activities is eating. The disabled people should be able to eat their food independently at any time and place, without relying on the caregivers. This paper presents the development of a new wearable upper limb motion assist robot for helping the disabled to eat by themselves. The motion assists robot consists of two degrees of freedom (DOF) movement, focusing on the two most crucial upper limb movements in eating activity, which is the elbow flexion/extension and forearm pronation/supination. A light-weight material was used for the fabrication of the wearable motion assist robot, and Arduino was utilized as the microcontroller. The originality of the study was in terms of the design, operational sequence setting, and kinematic analysis of the wearable upper limb motion assist robot that was explicitly focusing on eating activity. The resulted prototype was portable, compact, light in weight, simple and low cost. The experimental results have proven that the proposed wearable upper limb motion assist robot for eating activity was successful in helping the users to perform the main upper extremity motions in eating. The success rate of the proposed system was 80%, and it took 6 seconds for the system to complete one feeding cycle.


2013 ◽  
Vol 393 ◽  
pp. 999-1004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor Ayuni Che Zakaria ◽  
Takashi Komeda ◽  
Cheng Yee Low ◽  
Kaoru Inoue ◽  
Stephan Raczak

The aim of this study is to develop an adequate part-task trainer occupied with varying levels of severity in spasticity symptoms focusing on the upper limb disorder for occupational therapists. Using the developed part-task trainer, the occupational therapists will have opportunities to repetitively engage in training without patient involvement. The part-task trainer is developed following the structure of human arm articulations with the ability to reproduce the spasticity stiffness. The structured interface programming is built providing three levels of spasticity: mild, moderate and severe. The programming was based on the clinical assessment of spasticity, measuring elbow joint angles and forces exerted by the patients. The recreated spasticity stiffness was evaluated by experienced occupational therapists. Therapists provided positive feedback regarding the mild and moderate level of spasticity leaving further improvement needed in order to reproduce the spasticity at the severe level.


Author(s):  
Tzong-Ming Wu ◽  
Shu-Yi Wang ◽  
Dar-Zen Chen

Over-automated equipments and modern city life style lead to the diminishing opportunities for muscle using; however, the comfortable life is not always good for human health, and appropriate muscle training can not only enhance muscular strength and endurance but improve the health and fitness. Different kinds of ideas have been proposed for muscle training by exercise machines, which control direction of resistance for safety sake but isolate specific muscle groups to be trained. Compared with machines, free-weight exercise is a whole-body training in which human limbs can be moved on different planes to train more muscle groups. In this study, an upper limb exoskeleton design is proposed for free-weight exercise to strengthen the principal muscles of upper limb and shoulder. The upper limb exoskeleton is constituted of 3-DOF shoulder joint and 1-DOF elbow joint. The joint torques of shoulder and elbow joint of the exoskeleton match the objective joint torques from a model of free-weight exercise. The principal muscles of human arm and shoulder are training by dumbbell lateral raise, dumbbell frontal raise, dumbbell curl motion, and overhead triceps extension motion. With the arrangement of small-inertia springs, the exoskeleton is capable of preventing the muscle from injuries caused by the huge inertia change. The evaluation of the model was conducted by using isokinetic dynamometer to measure shoulder abduction-adduction, shoulder flexion-extension, and elbow flexion-extension for the male and female adults, and the results matched with the data obtained from the derived model.


2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 8-16
Author(s):  
MC de Souza ◽  
JR Calesso ◽  
B Cenci ◽  
MJL Cardoso ◽  
FA Moura ◽  
...  

A visual clinical gait analysis is useful, however, it may overlook small, but important, details about the movement, as well as differences between the normal and pathological locomotion. The branch of mechanics that describes the spatial and temporal components of motion is called kinematics, providing quantitative data regarding linear and angular motion. The objective of this study was to establish kinematic gait data of healthy American Pit Bull Terriers and to contribute to the understanding of the locomotion. We evaluated the articular and pelvic angles, and the spatiotemporal variables for walking and trotting from eleven dogs with no previous history of joint and musculoskeletal diseases. Twenty reflective markers were positioned at the anatomical points of interest. The animals walked and trotted in a linear space, led by the same researcher. The kinematic data were collected through optoelectronic cameras and analysed by motion analysis software. The movements analysed during the gait phases were the flexion, extension, range of motion (ROM), angle at the moment of the support phase, stride length and velocity. Comparing the angles between walking and trotting, there were more expressive differences for the pelvic limb joints. There was no difference between the left and right sides at all of the joint angles of the pelvic limbs during walking and trotting. Therefore, the movement of the pelvic limb is symmetrical in both trotting and walking. Our results present reference values for healthy American Pit Bull Terriers, having clinical relevance for studies of dogs with musculoskeletal diseases.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 132-140
Author(s):  
Yui Kawano ◽  
Mayumi Kuno-Mizumura

OBJECTIVE: This study examined intra- and inter-individual variability in upper limb movements of ballet dancers when performing flapping swan-wing movements, and it assessed differences in joint angles of upper limbs between dancers of different skill levels. METHODS: 23 female ballet dancers (3 professional, 6 advanced, and 14 intermediate dancers) and 21 age-matched females without previous dance experience participated in this study. Thirty-three reflective markers were attached to each participant’s trunk and upper limbs, and the flapping upper limb motions from Swan Lake were subsequently captured with eight optical cameras. Peak values of upper limb joint angles (shoulder, elbow, and wrist joint) were obtained, and intra- and inter-individual movement variability of each joint angle were compared between groups. RESULTS: In joint angles of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist, there were few differences among professional, advanced, and intermediate groups. The intra-individual movement variability in upward arm movements was significantly larger for professional and control groups than for advanced and intermediate groups, while in downward arm movement, variability became significantly smaller as technical level increased. Moreover, inter-individual movement variability was larger in the upward arm movement as technical level increased, and smaller in the downward arm movement for the professional group. The results suggested that the upward arm movements reflect dancers’ individual expression, while the downward arm movements reflect their technical competence at this swan-like movement. CONCLUSION: The complicated swan-like movements performed by skilled dancers in this study indicate that they execute expressive and technical components in sequence.


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