Balance Impairments after Brachial Plexus Injury as Assessed through Clinical and Posturographic Evaluation

Author(s)

Souza, Lidiane ^{[1, 2]} ; Lemos, Thiago ^{[1, 3]} ; Silva, Debora C. ^{[1, 3]} ; de Oliveira, Jose M. ^[1] ; Guedes Correa, Jose F. ^[2] ; Tavares, Paulo L. ^[2] ; Oliveira, Laura A. ^[3] ; Rodrigues, Erika C. ^{[4, 3]} ; Vargas, Claudia D. ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Biofis Carlos Chagas Filho, Lab Neurobiol 2, BR-21941 Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Neurol Deolindo Couto, Nucleo Pesquisa Neurociencia & Reabilitacao, Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

^[3] Ctr Univ Augusto Motta, Programa Posgrad Ciencias Reabilitacao, Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

^[4] Inst DOr Pesquisa & Ensino, Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE; v. 9, JAN 25 2016.
• Web of Science Citations: 5

Abstract

Objective: To investigate whether a sensorimotor deficit of the upper limb following a brachial plexus injury (BPI) affects the upright balance. Design: Eleven patients with a unilateral BPI and 11 healthy subjects were recruited. The balance assessment included the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the number of feet touches on the ground while performing a 60 s single-leg stance and posturographic assessment (eyes open and feet placed hip-width apart during a single 60 s trial). The body weight distribution (BWD) between the legs was estimated from the center of pressure (COP) lateral position. The COP variability was quantified in the anterior-posterior and lateral directions. Results: BPI patients presented lower BBS scores (p = 0.048) and a higher frequency of feet touches during the single-leg stance (p = 0.042) compared with those of the healthy subjects. An asymmetric BWD toward the side opposite the affected arm was shown by 73% of BPI patients. Finally, higher COP variability was observed in BPI patients compared with healthy subjects for anterior-posterior (p = 0.020), but not for lateral direction (p = 0.818). Conclusions: This study demonstrates that upper limb sensorimotor deficits following BPI affect body balance, serving as a warning for the clinical community about the need to prevent and treat the secondary outcomes of this condition. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/07699-0 - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center for Neuromathematics - NeuroMat
• Grantee: Oswaldo Baffa Filho
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers - RIDC