Quantitative description of upper extremity function and activity of people with spinal muscular atrophy.
Mariska M H P Janssen, Laura H C Peeters, Imelda J M de Groot
PMID 32917233WHAT IT FOUND
In people with spinal muscular atrophy, arm strength and muscle activity were already reduced when daily tasks still looked near normal.
People unable to lift their arms overhead had lower upper limb function, and active shoulder movement was closely related to daily performance.
Key findings
01The group with worse functional ability had lower total scores for upper limb performance, muscle torque, muscle activity, active range of motion, and the Nine-Hole Peg Test.
02People who could still perform daily tasks almost normally already had much lower maximal muscle strength, and people in the worse-function group used high normalized muscle activity during simple tasks.
03Daily upper limb performance was closely related to active joint movement and muscle strength, but passive joint movement was not related to activity level.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only 17 people were studied, and they varied widely in age and severity, so results are not stable for individual patients. The study was one-time cross-sectional, so it did not track how arm function changed over time in the same person. Many sum scores used fewer participants, on average 13, because people could not complete all measurements and the protocol changed after two participants. Muscle torque and electromyography results could be affected by other muscles working together, pain, fear, range limits, motivation, and swinging movements. Two participants could not sit on the bench without support, so some tasks were done in their wheelchair.
Declared interests
The article reports funding from Prinses Beatrix Spierfonds and no additional conflict-of-interest statement.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the differences between functional categories as proof that arm supports or splints improve function. This study measured people once and did not test any treatment.