Ebner-Karestinos D, Flament B, Arnould C, Thonnard JL, Bleyenheuft Y. Precision grip control while walking down a step in children with unilateral cerebral palsy.
PLoS One 2018;
13:e0191684. [PMID:
29390012 PMCID:
PMC5794097 DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0191684]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Aim
To compare grip force (GF) and load force (LF) coordination while walking down a step between children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) and typically developing (TD) children.
Methods
Twenty-five children with UCP (age 9.3±1.7 y) and 25 TD controls (age 9.4±2.1 y) walked down a step while holding a grip-lift manipulandum. Dynamic and temporal variables were analyzed. The maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) was also assessed.
Results
The temporal course was perturbed mainly in the more affected hand of children with UCP when compared to TD children because the increases in GF and LF onset occurred in a reversed order. Compared with the TD controls, the children with UCP presented higher LF values on both hands and a higher GF on the less affected hand. In children with UCP, the GF to LF adaptation was adequate on the less affected hand but overestimated on the more affected hand. Furthermore, children with UCP presented a lower MVC in the more affected hand, leading to a higher percentage of MVC used during the task.
Interpretation
Our findings highlight an anticipatory control of precision grip during a stepping down task in children with UCP that is adequate for the less affected hand but altered for the more affected hand.
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