Electromyographic Assessment of cervical motor control in children with cerebral palsy

Abstract:

This paper details the study about children with cerebral palsy, by analyzing electromyographic signals, where the main features in the activation of the muscles of the cervical area were analyzed, which are involved in the control of head posture while performing rehabilitation exercises. The study has been conducted with 10 children with clinical diagnosis of spastic cerebral palsy and 2 children without cerebral palsy, which served as references for the analysis. Electromyography was used to measure muscle activity of the cervical area keeping children in a ventral decubitus position while extension and flexion exercises of the neck where done. All the children have been treated by a group of physiotherapists who handle the same standards and procedures of physical rehabilitation. The electromyographic signals acquired were processed using the Wavelet Transform in order to obtain filtered signals containing the frequencies that were needed for the study. The results showed significant improvements in reducing muscle spasms (up to 76.5%) at the rest periods, as well as development in muscle activation (up to 70.55%). Also, advances were evident with respect to the control position of the head by physiotherapists. There is a group of patients whose progress was not continuous, showing eventual periods of worsening of patients’ condition. The treatment given to this group of patients for rehabilitation of the head control posture was effective, being more efficient for a specific group of patients.

Año de publicación:

2018

Keywords:

Fuente:

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