Considering Propulsion Pattern in Therapeutic Outcomes for Children Who Use Manual Wheelchairs.

Purpose: Children who use manual wheelchairs encounter pain and injury risks to the upper body. Current literature does not describe how propulsion pattern and physiotherapeutic training methodologies impact response to treatment.

Methods: This study assesses the effect of community-based intensive physical and occupational therapy on functional outcomes over a 7-week period in pediatric manual wheelchair users.

Assessment of a markerless motion analysis system for manual wheelchair application.

Background: Wheelchair biomechanics research advances accessibility and clinical care for manual wheelchair users. Standardized outcome assessments are vital tools for tracking progress, but there is a strong need for more quantitative methods. A system offering kinematic, quantitative detection, with the ease of use of a standardized outcome assessment, would be optimal for repeated, longitudinal assessment of manual wheelchair users' therapeutic progress, but has yet to be offered.

Evaluation of upper extremity movement characteristics during standardized pediatric functional assessment with a Kinect®-based markerless motion analysis system.

A recently developed and evaluated upper extremity (UE) markerless motion analysis system based on the Microsoft® Kinect® has potential for improving functional assessment of patients with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. 12 typically-developing adolescents ages 12-17 were evaluated using both the Kinect-based system and the Shriners Hospitals for Children Upper Extremity Evaluation (SHUEE), a validated measure of UE motion. The study established population means of UE kinematic parameters for each activity.

A bidirectional model of postural sway using force plate data.

This work was designed to expand on our previous anterior-posterior postural control model to include medial-lateral sway of unperturbed posture during quiet standing. The bidirectional model simulates two decoupled inverted pendulums, each restricted to sway in either the anterior-posterior (AP) direction (ankle strategy) or medial-lateral (ML) direction (hip strategy), and each controlled by a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller. Postural data was collected from 31 healthy participants under different sensory test conditions: eyes closed, eyes open, and eyes open with real-time visual feedback.

Bi-planar postural stability model: fitting model parameters to patient data automatically.

Postural control can be a challenging task for many people, including those with cerebral palsy or idiopathic scoliosis. Assessment of postural stability can be used as one element of a comprehensive strategy to identify more efficient treatments and can provide a better understanding of postural control deficits. Several models and techniques have been developed to assess and understand postural imbalance.