Article

The measurement of time and compensatory movements for functional
tasks is not frequently used to evaluate children with Duchenne muscular
dystrophy (DMD). As muscle weakness progresses, new synergies (compensatory
movements) are selected to perform the tasks, demanding higher times. OBJECTIVES:
The present study aimed to describe the timed motor performance of rising from
the floor to standing, sitting down on the floor from standing, climbing up four
steps and climbing down four steps 18 and 6 months prior to gait loss and to
investigate possible relationships between these timed performances, the
compensatory movements and the Vignos Scale (VS) scores. METHOD: Fourteen
children with DMD (mean age: 9.6) were videotaped performing the tasks. Spearman
correlation tests investigated the relationships between the times, compensatory
movements (scored by FES-DMD) and VS. RESULTS: The timed performance and the
compensatory movements for rising from the floor, climbing up and climbing down
steps varied broadly and were correlated to each other among patients with DMD at
18 and 6 months prior to gait loss. The relationship was not found for sitting on
the floor. The timed performance and compensatory movements for climbing up and
down steps also correlated to the VS. CONCLUSION:
Rising from the floor, climbing
up, and climbing down steps have some components in common, such as the demand
for muscle strength and the recruitment of compensatory muscle synergies, as DMD
progresses. To sit down on the floor, some children let themselves fall,
resulting in a faster performance, but more compensatory movements.

Langue : ANGLAIS