Gardas, S.S.; Lysaght, C.; McMillan, A.G.; Kantak, S.; Willson, J.D.; Patterson, C.G.; Surkar, S.M. Bimanual Movement Characteristics and Real-World Performance Following Hand–Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy. Behav. Sci.2023, 13, 681.
Gardas, S.S.; Lysaght, C.; McMillan, A.G.; Kantak, S.; Willson, J.D.; Patterson, C.G.; Surkar, S.M. Bimanual Movement Characteristics and Real-World Performance Following Hand–Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy. Behav. Sci. 2023, 13, 681.
Gardas, S.S.; Lysaght, C.; McMillan, A.G.; Kantak, S.; Willson, J.D.; Patterson, C.G.; Surkar, S.M. Bimanual Movement Characteristics and Real-World Performance Following Hand–Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy. Behav. Sci.2023, 13, 681.
Gardas, S.S.; Lysaght, C.; McMillan, A.G.; Kantak, S.; Willson, J.D.; Patterson, C.G.; Surkar, S.M. Bimanual Movement Characteristics and Real-World Performance Following Hand–Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy. Behav. Sci. 2023, 13, 681.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to quantify characteristics of bimanual movement intensity during 30-hour Hand Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy (HABIT) and bimanual performance (activities and participation) in real-world using accelerometers in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP). Twenty-five children with UCP participated in a 30-hour HABIT program. Data was collected from bilateral wrist-worn accelerometers during 30-hours HABIT to quantify the movement intensity, and three days pre- and post-HABIT to assess real-world performance gains. Movement intensity and performance gains were measured using six standard accelerometer-derived variables. Bimanual capacity (body function and activities) was assessed using standardized hand function tests. We found that accelerometer variables increased significantly during HABIT, indicating increased bimanual symmetry and intensity. Post-HABIT, children demonstrated significant improvements in all accelerometer metrics, reflecting real-world performance gains. Children also achieved significant and clinically relevant changes in the hand capacity following HABIT. Therefore, our findings suggest that accelerometers can objectively quantify bimanual movement intensity during HABIT. Moreover, HABIT enhances hand function as well as activities and participation in real-world situation in children with UCP.
Keywords
Training intensity; bimanual coordination; real-world activity; actigraphs; upper extremity
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
