Article

OBJECTIVE: To determine which clinical measures of physical function (ie, gait,
balance, and grip strength) best represent long-term electromyography in persons
with Parkinson disease (PD) compared with those without PD. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.
SETTING: Local community. PARTICIPANTS: A sample (N=37) of men and women with PD (n=23) and those without PD (n=14), living independently at
home, older than 50 years of age, from the local community. INTERVENTIONS: Not
applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measures of gait, balance, and grip strength
were completed, and electromyography was examined in biceps brachii, triceps
brachii, vastus lateralis, and biceps femoris during a 6.5-hour day. Muscle
activity was quantified through burst in electromyography (>2% of the normalized
maximum voluntary exertion with a continuous activity period of >0.1s). Stepwise
multiple regression models were used to determine the proportion of variance in
burst characteristics explained by clinical measures of physical function in PD.
RESULTS: Grip strength was the best predictor of muscle activity in persons with
PD (R2=.17-.33; P<.04), whereas gait characteristics explained muscle activity in
healthy controls (R2=.40-.82; P<.04). CONCLUSIONS:
Grip strength could serve as
an effective clinical assessment tool to determine changes in muscle activity,
which is a precursor to functional loss in persons with PD.
CI - Copyright (c) 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS