Normative Kinematic Data for Two Functional UpperLimb Tasks
1Aïda
M. Valevicius, 1Quinn A. Boser, 1Ewen B. Lavoie, 1,2Albert H. Vette, 1Craig S.
Chapman, 1Patrick M. Pilarski, 1,2Jacqueline S. Hebert
1 University
of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
2 Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
INTRODUCTION
a
b
c
d
e
f
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are challenging enough to prompt compensatory movements
contain elements of accuracy and risk
require force modulation
exhibit representative ranges of upper limb motion
Moreover, to quantitatively assess upper limb function, a multi-body kinematic assessment is
essential. In this context, using motion capture is a valuable tool to quantify compensatory
movements in populations with upper limb impairments. Such compensations often put people at
risk for overuse and other types of upper limb injuries.
OBJECTIVES
Cup Transfer Task
Performance of clinical functional tasks is often quantified via time to completion of the task. An
example of a time-based exercise is the ’Box and Blocks’ task, which requires a participant to
move a set number of blocks across a partition [1]. Although this task has been used at length in
a clinical environment, it does not provide the breadth of information that would be necessary to
assess full functionality of people with upper limb impairments. New functional tasks are required
that:
METHODS
Participants:
• 20 able-bodied participants: 25 ± 7 years of age, 11 males, 18 right-handed
• No upper-body pathology or any history of neurological or musculoskeletal injuries in the last
two years
Tasks:
• Pasta box task: participants moved a box of pasta from a table
placed at the right side of the body to two shelves of different
heights in front of them
• Cup transfer task: participants moved two compliant cups filled
with therapeutic beads over a partition and back again, one with
a top grasp and another with a side grasp
Data collection:
• 12-Bonita camera VICON motion capture system (120 Hz)
• 6 rigid plates with 4 markers and 2 rigid plates with 3 markers
were placed on upper body segments
• 4 anatomical markers were placed on the head and 2 on the
thumb and index
• 20 trials were collected for each task
• Angular and end-effector kinematics were computed from lowpass filtered data using custom written MATLAB code
Figure 1: Schematic representation of the
location of the rigid marker plates and
anatomical markers during data collection.
b
b
c
d
Figure 3: Time-normalized joint angle
trajectories for the cup transfer task. DOFs
presented are: a) shoulder
flexion/extension; b) shoulder
abduction/adduction; c) shoulder
internal/external rotation; d) elbow
flexion/extension; e) wrist
flexion/extension; f) wrist ulnar/radial
deviation; g) pronation/supination of the
combined elbow and wrist joints. The solid
green lines depict the group-averaged
kinematics and the green shadings define
angles that lie within one standard
deviation of the mean.
Figure 4: Blue graphs represent right hand velocity for a) pasta box task and c) cup transfer task. Red graphs represent
grip aperture for b) pasta box task and d) cup transfer task. Shown are group averages ± one standard deviation.
Table 1: End-effector metrics for the pasta box and cup transfer tasks, reported for each segment separately. The group
averages ± one standard deviation for maximum hand velocity, hand velocity range, percent to peak velocity, and grip
aperture range are presented.
RESULTS
a
a
Return to home
Reach & grasp cup 1
Transport cup 1
Transport cup 2
Reach & grasp cup 2
Return to home
Transport cup 2
1. Develop two functional tasks that mimic activities of daily living requiring precision, accuracy,
force modulation, lateral movements, and crossing the body’s midline.
2. Create a comprehensive set of normative upper body kinematics for those tasks that can be
used as a benchmark for clinical assessments.
Reach & grasp cup 2
The objectives of this study were twofold:
Transport cup 1
Reach & grasp cup 1
g
c
DISCUSSION
e
A normative set of upper body kinematics for two functional tasks that mimic activities of daily
living and incorporate critical elements of accuracy and risk has been established.
f
Pasta Box Task
d
The joints exhibiting the greatest range of motion were:
• shoulder flexion/extension
• elbow flexion/extension and pronation/supination
• wrist flexion/extension during the cup transfer task
Some differences in end-effector metrics can be observed between the two tasks:
Return to home
Transport box
Reach & grasp box
Return to home
Transport box
Return to home
Reach & grasp box
Transport box
Reach & grasp box
g
Figure 2: Time-normalized joint angle
trajectories for the pasta box task. Degrees
of freedom (DOFs) presented are: a)
shoulder flexion/extension; b) shoulder
abduction/adduction; c) shoulder
internal/external rotation; d) elbow
flexion/extension; e) wrist
flexion/extension; f) wrist ulnar/radial
deviation; and g) pronation/supination of
the combined elbow and wrist joints. The
solid green lines depict the group-averaged
kinematics and the green shadings define
angles that lie within one standard
deviation of the mean.
• pasta box task displayed smoother and single-peaked trajectories for hand velocity
• the percent to peak velocity for the cup transfer task was more variable across segments than
for the pasta box task
The results of this study have high clinical significance as they provide an extensive summary of
normative upper body kinematics during functional upper limb tasks. These norms will be used
as a benchmark for assessing upper limb impairments, advanced assistive technologies, and
performance improvements over time.
REFERENCES
[1] Hebert J, et al. JRRD 51:6, 919-932, 2014.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA) BTO under the auspices of Dr. Doug Weber through the [Space and Naval
Warfare Systems Center, Pacific OR DARPA Contracts Management Office]
Grant/Contract No. N66001-15-C-4015.
American Society of
Biomechanics 2016 Student
Travel Award
University of Alberta Queen
Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship