Motion Analysis of Balance Pre and Post Sensorimotor Exercises to Enhance Elderly Mobility: A Case Study
Quantitative assessment of movement using motion capture provides insights on mobility which are not evident from clinical evaluation. Here, in older individuals that were healthy or had suffered a stroke, we aimed to investigate their balance in terms of changes in body kinematics and muscle activi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/2/889 |
| _version_ | 1797446607796436992 |
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| author | Ji Chen Roni Romero Lara A. Thompson |
| author_facet | Ji Chen Roni Romero Lara A. Thompson |
| author_sort | Ji Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Quantitative assessment of movement using motion capture provides insights on mobility which are not evident from clinical evaluation. Here, in older individuals that were healthy or had suffered a stroke, we aimed to investigate their balance in terms of changes in body kinematics and muscle activity. Our research question involved determining the effects on post- compared to pre-sensorimotor training exercises on maintaining or improving balance. Our research hypothesis was that training would improve the gait and balance by increasing joint angles and extensor muscle activities in lower extremities and spatiotemporal measures of stroke and elderly people. This manuscript describes a motion capture-based evaluation protocol to assess joint angles and spatiotemporal parameters (cadence, step length and walking speed), as well as major extensor and flexor muscle activities. We also conducted a case study on a healthy older participant (male, age, 65) and an older participant with chronic stroke (female, age, 55). Both participants performed a walking task along a path with a rectangular shape which included tandem walking forward, right side stepping, tandem walking backward, left side stepping to the starting location. For the stroke participant, the training improved the task completion time by 19 s. Her impaired left leg had improved step length (by 0.197 m) and cadence (by 10 steps/min) when walking forward, and cadence (by 12 steps/min) when walking backward. The non-impaired right leg improved cadence when walking forward (by 15 steps/min) and backward (by 27 steps/min). The joint range of motion (ROM) did not change in most cases. However, the ROM of the hip joint increased significantly by 5.8 degrees (<i>p</i> = 0.019) on the left leg side whereas the ROMs of hip joint and knee joint increased significantly by 4.1 degrees (<i>p</i> = 0.046) and 8.1 degrees (<i>p</i> = 0.007) on the right leg side during backward walking. For the healthy participant, the significant changes were only found in his right knee joint ROM having increased by 4.2 degrees (<i>p</i> = 0.031) and in his left ankle joint ROM having increased by 5.5 degrees (<i>p</i> = 0.006) during the left side stepping. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:44:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2e0af67ba1f44055a79e64c78d719959 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:44:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-2e0af67ba1f44055a79e64c78d7199592023-11-30T21:02:58ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172023-01-0113288910.3390/app13020889Motion Analysis of Balance Pre and Post Sensorimotor Exercises to Enhance Elderly Mobility: A Case StudyJi Chen0Roni Romero1Lara A. Thompson2Biomedical Engineering Program, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC 20008, USABiomedical Engineering Program, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC 20008, USABiomedical Engineering Program, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC 20008, USAQuantitative assessment of movement using motion capture provides insights on mobility which are not evident from clinical evaluation. Here, in older individuals that were healthy or had suffered a stroke, we aimed to investigate their balance in terms of changes in body kinematics and muscle activity. Our research question involved determining the effects on post- compared to pre-sensorimotor training exercises on maintaining or improving balance. Our research hypothesis was that training would improve the gait and balance by increasing joint angles and extensor muscle activities in lower extremities and spatiotemporal measures of stroke and elderly people. This manuscript describes a motion capture-based evaluation protocol to assess joint angles and spatiotemporal parameters (cadence, step length and walking speed), as well as major extensor and flexor muscle activities. We also conducted a case study on a healthy older participant (male, age, 65) and an older participant with chronic stroke (female, age, 55). Both participants performed a walking task along a path with a rectangular shape which included tandem walking forward, right side stepping, tandem walking backward, left side stepping to the starting location. For the stroke participant, the training improved the task completion time by 19 s. Her impaired left leg had improved step length (by 0.197 m) and cadence (by 10 steps/min) when walking forward, and cadence (by 12 steps/min) when walking backward. The non-impaired right leg improved cadence when walking forward (by 15 steps/min) and backward (by 27 steps/min). The joint range of motion (ROM) did not change in most cases. However, the ROM of the hip joint increased significantly by 5.8 degrees (<i>p</i> = 0.019) on the left leg side whereas the ROMs of hip joint and knee joint increased significantly by 4.1 degrees (<i>p</i> = 0.046) and 8.1 degrees (<i>p</i> = 0.007) on the right leg side during backward walking. For the healthy participant, the significant changes were only found in his right knee joint ROM having increased by 4.2 degrees (<i>p</i> = 0.031) and in his left ankle joint ROM having increased by 5.5 degrees (<i>p</i> = 0.006) during the left side stepping.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/2/889sensorimotor trainingevaluation protocoljoint anglespatiotemporalmuscle activitiesfalls |
| spellingShingle | Ji Chen Roni Romero Lara A. Thompson Motion Analysis of Balance Pre and Post Sensorimotor Exercises to Enhance Elderly Mobility: A Case Study Applied Sciences sensorimotor training evaluation protocol joint angle spatiotemporal muscle activities falls |
| title | Motion Analysis of Balance Pre and Post Sensorimotor Exercises to Enhance Elderly Mobility: A Case Study |
| title_full | Motion Analysis of Balance Pre and Post Sensorimotor Exercises to Enhance Elderly Mobility: A Case Study |
| title_fullStr | Motion Analysis of Balance Pre and Post Sensorimotor Exercises to Enhance Elderly Mobility: A Case Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Motion Analysis of Balance Pre and Post Sensorimotor Exercises to Enhance Elderly Mobility: A Case Study |
| title_short | Motion Analysis of Balance Pre and Post Sensorimotor Exercises to Enhance Elderly Mobility: A Case Study |
| title_sort | motion analysis of balance pre and post sensorimotor exercises to enhance elderly mobility a case study |
| topic | sensorimotor training evaluation protocol joint angle spatiotemporal muscle activities falls |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/2/889 |
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