Application of the coupling angle to investigate upper limb interjoint coordination after stroke

Elsevier

Available online 24 February 2023, 100769

IRBMAuthor links open overlay panel, , , , Highlights•

Coupling angle was firstly used to investigate upper limb movements after stroke.

The coupling angle is an easy tool to visualize interjoint movement patterns.

Elbow flexion and shoulder abduction ROM were smaller in the most affected arm.

More phase transitions were observed in the most affected arm.

AbstractObjective

Interjoint coordination after stroke is affected, which limits the use of the upper limb. Current methods to determine interjoint coordination lack the ability to visualize and quantify the movement. Therefore we investigated if the coupling angle can be used to visualize and interpret upper limb interjoint coordination following a stroke.

Methods

Seven chronic stroke patients trained six weeks with an assistive home-training system (MERLIN). Kinematic outcomes, i.e. elbow and shoulder range of motion, movement duration, and angle-angle plots were determined in a retrieving task. Interjoint coordination between elbow flexion and shoulder abduction angles was expressed as the coupling angle phases and the number of phase transitions: proximal/distal joint leading phase, in-phase and anti-phase. Comparisons were made within sides: pre-test versus post-test, and between sides: most-affected (MA) versus least-affected (LA).

Results

Smaller elbow flexion angles were found PreMA versus PreLA, and smaller shoulder abduction angles in PostMA versus PostLA. A general coordination pattern was revealed on the LA side, but not on the MA side. A trend showed less phase transitions at the MA side after training, suggesting a smoother movement. Quantification of the movement phases indicated more shoulder involvement in the MA side during pre-test. After training, these differences were not apparent, which might reveal an increased independent control of the elbow joint.

Conclusions

The coupling angle and the movement phases provide a promising tool to investigate post-stroke interjoint coordination patterns.

Significance

A new visualisation of the interjoint coordination may benefit rehabilitation of stroke survivors.

Graphical abstractDownload : Download high-res image (187KB)Download : Download full-size imageData availability

The dataset supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available upon publication via Dataverse NL: https://doi.org/10.34894/MBABRA.

© 2023 AGBM. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

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