Article

The study analyzed postural and arm movement coordinations in patients with
traumatic brain injury (TBI) while standing and reaching for a target moving in a
3D virtual environment. Thirteen individuals with mild TBI and 13 height, sex,
and age-matched healthy control individuals were involved. While standing in
front of the screen, the participants interacted with the projected environment
by reaching for virtual targets. Coordination was analyzed as the percentage of
reach-to-intercept cycle time during which their movement toward the target was
decomposed with 0% indicating simultaneous motion in three planes or 100%
indicating motion in one or two planes only. Decomposition was calculated for the
postural movements (DIp), arm movements (DIa), and arm-postural coordination
(DIa-p). The latter index represented the percentage of reach-to-intercept cycle
time during which either the posture or arm moved alone. DIp and DIa-p were
larger in the TBI group compared to the control group (p < 0.01). In the TBI
group, DIp and DIa-p correlated negatively with postural stability (r = - 0.71
and r = - 0.60; p < 0.01). Results suggest that individuals with TBI decompose
postural and arm-postural coordinations during a reach-to-intercept task. This
may be either a result of impaired postural control or an effort to compensate
for instability. These abnormalities should be taken into consideration while
planning physical therapy programs for individuals after brain injury.

Langue : ANGLAIS