Robot-aided developmental assessment of wrist proprioception in children.
Francesca Marini, Valentina Squeri, Pietro Morasso and 3 others
PMID 28069028WHAT IT FOUND
Children's wrist position sense improved with age and reached adult performance in early adolescence.
Across wrist movements, side-to-side motion was most accurate and least variable. The robot task did not show learning across trials.
Key findings
01Wrist position sense improved with age and reached adult levels at 12 years.
02Side-to-side wrist motion (abduction/adduction) was the most accurate and least variable movement across ages.
03The robot task showed no consistent learning trend across repeated trials.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only healthy children and adults were tested, so the results do not show how children with neurological or musculoskeletal conditions would perform. The study did not compare the robot test with a clinical diagnosis or show that it changes treatment. Different children were compared at different ages, not the same children followed over time. The youngest children showed the highest variance in performance, so age-related trends should not be read as precise for every child. The method required a lab robot and long testing time, so it is not yet a routine clinic assessment.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this robot test can diagnose proprioceptive problems in patients. It was tested only in healthy children and adults, and it did not compare results with any clinical diagnosis.