Kinematic analysis of movement patterns during a reach-and-grasp task in stroke patients

Hyoseon Choi; Dongho Park; Dong-Wook Rha; Hyo Suk Nam; Yea Jin Jo; Deog Young Kim

doi:10.3389/fneur.2023.1225425

Kinematic analysis of movement patterns during a reach-and-grasp task in stroke patients

Front Neurol. 2023 Aug 24:14:1225425. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1225425. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Hyoseon Choi^{1

2}, Dongho Park^{3

4}, Dong-Wook Rha^{2

5}, Hyo Suk Nam⁶, Yea Jin Jo⁵, Deog Young Kim^{2

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Nowon Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
² Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
³ George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States.
⁴ Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States.
⁵ Research Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
⁶ Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the kinematic movement patterns during a reach-and-grasp task in post-stroke patients according to the upper extremity impairment severity.

Methods: Subacute stroke patients (n = 46) and healthy controls (n = 20) were enrolled in this study. Spatiotemporal and kinematic data were obtained through 3D motion analysis during the reach-and-grasp task. Stroke patients were grouped using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scale, and a comparison of the groups was performed.

Results: The severe group showed a significantly longer movement time, lower peak velocity, and higher number of movement units than the mild group during the reach-and-grasp task (p < 0.05). Characteristic compensatory movement patterns, such as shoulder abduction, thoracic posterior tilting, and upward and external rotation were significantly greater during the forward transporting phase in the severe group than in the mild group (p < 0.05). The FMA score was significantly associated with the movement time during the forward transporting phase, number of movement units during the reaching phase, range of shoulder abduction-adduction and wrist flexion-extension movements during the reaching phase, and range of thoracic internal-external rotation during the backward transporting phase (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Post-stroke patients have unique spatiotemporal and kinematic movement patterns during a reach-and grasp-task according to the impairment severity.

Keywords: activities of daily living; biomechanical phenomena; rehabilitation; stroke; upper extremity.