Kinematic analysis of the upper limb: a useful tool in children with cerebral palsy

TLDR

Upper limb involvement in cerebral palsy is more complex than lower limb involvement, varies with individual brain lesions, and current clinical methods inadequately assess kinematic activity during daily activities. The study defined a three‑dimensional upper limb kinematic protocol to enhance clinical analysis of cerebral palsy patients. The protocol involves a three‑dimensional kinematic assessment, with reproducibility tests underway. The kinematic analysis revealed discrepancies between clinical assessment and kinematic data for a patient, indicating that three‑dimensional motion analysis provides a more comprehensive evaluation and can better measure treatment outcomes.

Abstract

Upper limb involvement in cerebral palsy is usually more complex than lower limb involvement. Each child has a specific brain lesion and the clinical pattern is highly variable. Current clinical methods of assessment do not fully evaluate the kinematic activity during simple activities of daily life. We defined an upper limb three-dimensional kinematic protocol in order to complete the clinical analysis of such patients and reproducibility tests are in progress. Data were presented for one of the patients studied and showed some important differences between the clinical analysis and the kinematic one. A three-dimensional upper limb motion analysis gives a more complete kinematic evaluation and should help better measure the results of treatments.