Elsinghorst, A.L. (2017) The combined effects of guidance force, bodyweight support and gait speed on muscle activation patterns during Lokomat walking in children with Cerebral Palsy and able-bodied peers. thesis, Human Movement Sciences.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Background: Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) often have gait problems due to non-progressive disturbances in brain development. RAGT (for example with the Lokomat) provides intensive, repetitive and task-specific gait training, but knowledge is needed about (1) how training parameters Guidance, BWS, and Speed affect muscle activity of children with CP during Lokomat walking, and (2) how these effects differ between children with CP and able-bodied peers. Methods: 6 children with CP (GMFCS II-IV, 2 females, age 13.3 ± 2.4 years) and 6 able-bodied (AB) children (3 females, age 13.0 ± 2.9 years) walked in the Lokomat at varying settings (50% and 100% guidance force, 0% and 50% BWS, 1 and 2 km/h gait speed). Electromyography data was obtained from Gluteus Medius (GM), Biceps Femoris (BF), Vastus Lateralis (VL), Medial Gastrocnemius (MG), and Tibialis Anterior (TA) on the right leg (AB children) or most affected leg (CP children). Repeated measures ANOVA’s were conducted for statistical analysis. Results: In children with CP, providing more guidance force and more BWS induced reduced muscle activity. Higher gait speed induced increased muscle activity in children with CP for VL and MG, but generated decreased EMG amplitudes in GM. The nature of these effects generally did not differ between children with CP and able-bodied peers. Conclusion: The current study show that different settings of training parameters Guidance, BWS, and Speed do not particularly change the timing of muscle activation patterns, but rather influence the magnitude of muscle output. High levels of guidance should be averted since this corresponds with low levels of muscle activity. Moreover, a combination of low speed and high guidance forces should be avoided during therapy, likewise the combination of high guidance forces and 0% BWS, in order to prevent low muscle output during Lokomat walking.
| Item Type: | Thesis (UNSPECIFIED) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Otter, A.R. den and Kammen, K. van |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 06 May 2022 10:35 |
| Last Modified: | 06 May 2022 10:35 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3232 |
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