Responsiveness of the Gait Domain of the Functional Evaluation Scale for Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Aim: To determine the responsiveness of functional gait assessment of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Method: A total of 160 films of 32 children (mean age: 9.5 ± 2.

How often should sitting and rising from a chair be evaluated in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy?

Objective: To determine how often sitting/rising from a chair should be assessed in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients to avoid redundant/missing data.

Methods: Sitting/rising from a chair was evaluated in 26 DMD children (5-12 yrs), in three-month intervals, over twelve months, with the Functional Evaluation Scale (domain sitting/rising from a chair). Scores were compared by effect sizes (ES) and standardized response means (SRM) (responsiveness analysis).

Relationship between muscle strength and motor function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between muscle strength and motor function and between these variables and age.

Method: Muscle strength was measured by Medical Research Council (MRC) scale and motor function, by Motor Function Measure (MFM), in 40 non-ambulatory patients. Spearman tests investigated the relationships between muscle strength, motor function and age.

Relationship between the climbing up and climbing down stairs domain scores on the FES-DMD, the score on the Vignos Scale, age and timed performance of functional activities in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Background: Knowing the potential for and limitations of information generated using different evaluation instruments favors the development of more accurate functional diagnoses and therapeutic decision-making.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the number of compensatory movements when climbing up and going down stairs, age, functional classification and time taken to perform a tested activity (TA) of going up and down stairs in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Method: A bank of movies featuring 30 boys with DMD performing functional activities was evaluated.

The clinical relevance of timed motor performance in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Background: The measurement of time and compensatory movements for functional tasks is not frequently used to evaluate children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). As muscle weakness progresses, new synergies (compensatory movements) are selected to perform the tasks, demanding higher times.

Objectives: The present study aimed to describe the timed motor performance of rising from the floor to standing, sitting down on the floor from standing, climbing up four steps and climbing down four steps 18 and 6 months prior to gait loss and to investigate possible relationships between these timed performances, the compensatory movements and the Vignos Scale (VS) scores.

Development and Reliability of the Functional Evaluation Scale for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Gait Domain: A Pilot Study.

Background And Purpose: The progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) results in the emergence of multiple and varied synergies to compensate muscle weakness and to deal with the demands of the functional tasks (e.g. gait).

Evaluation scale development, reliability for sitting and standing from the chair for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The authors aimed to (a) develop a scale to evaluate non-wheelchair-dependent children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) while sitting and standing from the chair, (b) test its reliability, and (c) correlate the scores of this scale with the time, the age and the Vignos. Thirty DMD boys performed sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit from the chair 4 times. Scale development was based on a previous movement characterization in healthy children and in DMD children and on suggestions by physical therapists with expertise in DMD.

Elaboration and reliability of functional evaluation on going up and downstairs scale for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Background: Instruments of functional evaluation for patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), available from the literature, are limited and scarce, making clinical decision on Physiotherapy difficulty.

Objectives: To describe the process of creating a functional assessment scale in patients with DMD while going up and down the stairs, as well as to analyse the intra and inter-rater reliability of this scale.

Methods: The scale development consisted of five stages: 1) to elaborate a script for directed observation based upon literature, 2) to describe a sequence of movements assessing 120 video recordings from 30 children (from 5 to 11 years) with DMD while going up and down stairs, 3) to elaborate a scale considering the degree of difficulty to execute the movements, 4) to create handbook, and 5) to submit both the scale and the handbook to be assess by 10 examiners, and review to create the final version.

Development of an evaluation scale for sitting and standing from the ground for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The authors developed an evaluation scale for sit-stand from the ground for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and tested its reliability. The construction occurred in stages: (a) the characterization of the movement in healthy children, (b) the characterization of the movement in children with DMD, (c) the elaboration of the 1st version of the scale and the manual, (d) the evaluation by experts and readjustments, and (e) the analysis of inter- and intraexaminer reliability and correlation with the Vignos Scale, age, and time for the execution of the activity. The scale comprehended 3 phases for sitting and 5 for the standing.