Effect of functional utility of objects on the shoulder movement strategies, during the reaching action, in subjects with chronic hemiparesis

• Grant number: 14/06540-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2014
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal researcher: Thiago Luiz de Russo
• Grantee: Lívia Gaspar Fernandes
• Home Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Stroke is classified as one of the pathological processes that directly affect the performance on daily living activities by the affected population. The decreased functionality of the upper limb (UL) is a frequent complaint of these patients, especially during reaching tasks. The use of affordance objects (i.d.familiar objects) within the context during treatment emerges as an important tool to be used aiming functional recovery of the UL, once the usefulness of the object affects the perception and how the action is going to be integrated by central mechanisms. Objectives: Observe the effect of the functional utility of the object on the trajectory of the reaching movement by analyzing kinematic variables of the elbow and the scapulohumeral complex in chronic hemiparetic and healthy subjects. Methods: Study with 30 subjects of both genders, will be divided into two groups: post-stroke hemiparetic subjects (> 6 months from the last episode and healthy control subjects matched for age. Functionality will be assessed by the following tests: Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Fugl Meyer scale of physical performance (domain of upper limbs) and Scale of Trunk Disability (STD). The Qualisys Motion Capture System equipment will be used to assess the kinematics of the scapulohumeral complex movement during two tasks of reach. The surface electromyographic activity will be captured on the main muscles related with reach using the electromiographic equipment Delsys Trigno Wireless System. Statistical Analysis: In case data have normal distribution, two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey test and Pearson correlation will be applied, otherwise, nonparametric statistics and Spearman correlation will be applied. Significance level of 0.05 will be adopted with a confidence interval (CI) of 95%.