Normative Biomechanical Measures of Reaching in Able-Bodied Adults

Not Applicable

Completed

Conditions: Individuals With Functional Limitations Which May Impact Their Forward Reach

Brief Summary: A study to obtain normative values and repeatability measures during functional reaching tasks in able-bodied individuals with no functional limitations.

Detailed Description: The study has three main aims: 1) Define the data collection methods, and calculate the repeatability, of joint angles, muscle activation magnitudes, seating pressure, foot pressure, and reach distance during seated and standing reaching activities. 2) Collect normative values of joint angles, muscle activation magnitudes, seating pressure, foot pressure, and reach distance during seated and standing functional reaching tasks in 40 participants with no functional limitations. Descriptive statistics will include calculating the mean, median, standard deviation, and range of the outcome variable values. 3) Compare joint angles, muscle activation magnitudes, seating pressure, foot pressure, and reach distance collected during a seated reaching task to those collected during a standing reaching task.

The data collected may be used in the future as baseline reference and repeatability values of outcome measures against which to compare values from individuals with functional limitations to quantify their functional ability.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

• 20-59 years of age at time of enrollment

Exclusion Criteria

Failure to give consent or follow simple commands
Score of 7 or above on the QuickDASH Outcome Measure
Score of 5 or above on the Oswestry Low Back Disability Questionnaire
Score of 76 or below on the Lower Extremity Functional Scale
Diagnosis of a neuromuscular disorder (e.g., muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia)
Diagnosis of an inner ear balance disorder (e.g., benign paroxysmal positional vertigo)
Insufficient active range of motion of bilateral shoulders or hips that results in inability to perform forward or lateral reaching tasks
Any illness or condition which, based on the research team's assessment, will compromise the patient's ability to comply with the protocol, patient safety, or the validity of the data collected during this study

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Normal Controls	Modified Functional Reach and Functional Reach	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Electromyography	One data collection session, lasting approximately 4 hours	Muscle activity over time and peak muscle activity, measured in volts. Muscles measured: erector spinae, rectus abdominis, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, medial hamstring, vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius, and tibialis anterior.
Reach distance	One data collection session, lasting approximately 4 hours	Measurement of the furthest distance reached, measured in centimeters.
Center of pressure excursion	One data collection session, lasting approximately 4 hours	Path of movement of the center of pressure applied by the buttocks to the seating surface and applied by the feet to the floor.
Joint angles	One data collection session, lasting approximately 4 hours	Change in measurements of joint angles at the shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles, measured in degrees.
Seated and foot pressures	One data collection session, lasting approximately 4 hours	Plot of pressure magnitude over the surface of the buttocks and the bottom of the feet.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method

Receive instant email notifications about changes in this clinical trial

Receive instant email notifications about changes in this clinical trial