Upper limb movements and repeatability for clinical movement analysis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Upper limb movements and their repeatability for clinical movement analysis.
IRAS ID
190453
Contact name
Jonathan Noble
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 7 days
Research summary
The One Small Step gait laboratory performs clinical movement analysis of upper limb function in patients with neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy. These individuals undergo a clinical examination, where their height, weight, strength, and joint ranges of motion are measured. The individuals then have their movement patterns and muscle activation recorded while they perform tasks such as reaching to press a button and reaching and grasping a bottle using 3 dimensional (3D) movement analysis. To enable abnormalities in the patient’s structure and movement to be identified a reference database of the typical values for healthy individuals are required to which the patient’s measurements can be compared.
In this project, we will perform a clinical examination and 3D movement analysis on 100 healthy volunteers aged 5 to 35 following clinical protocols. 3D movement analysis will be recorded by the individuals wearing small reflective dots on their arms and torso that are tracked by a group of cameras. Muscle activation is measured by placing small wireless sensors onto the surface of the subject’s arms that record the electrical activity of the muscles as they are activated. Their grip force will also be measured using force sensors. 15 of these individuals will have the measurements repeated two further times on the same day after a break, and again on a different day less than 2 weeks after the first assessment.
To determine the repeatability of the measurements in the clinical population, two groups of 15 individuals with cerebral palsy aged 5 to 35 will be recruited. Two groups will be recruited to minimise the demands on the participants. One group will undergo four clinical examinations, and the second group four 3D motion analysis assessments. These measurements will be performed three times on one day and a fourth time 1 week later.REC name
London - Surrey Borders Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/1008
Date of REC Opinion
3 Jul 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion