Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39955608›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation2025

Lower limb pointing to assess intersegmental dynamics after incomplete spinal cord injury and the associated role of proprioceptive impairments.

Raza N Malik, Daniel S Marigold, Mason Chow, Gevorg Eginyan, Tania Lam

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Article in Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Raza N MalikSchool of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. razamalik@icord.org.
Daniel S MarigoldDepartment of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
Mason ChowInternational Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Gevorg EginyanSchool of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Tania LamSchool of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Funding

CIHR CIHR MOP-136914University of British Columbia #6456
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDisorders in the recovery of gait strategies in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) suggest difficulties in controlling lower limb intersegmental dynamics, which could relate to proprioceptive impairments. To probe discrete aspects of lower limb interjoint coordination, we present here a novel protocol to assess lower limb motor strategies and evaluate the influence of proprioceptive impairments following SCI.

methodsTwelve able-bodied controls and 16 participants with SCI performed lower limb pointing to three targets that involved combined hip and knee flexion, or hip or knee flexion only while standing, with either full or obstructed visual feedback. We quantified lower limb proprioceptive sense in individuals with SCI using a robotic gait device. We used motion analysis to determine lower limb joint angles and foot trajectory, computed inverse dynamics to quantify joint and intersegmental dynamics, and derived muscle torque as an indicator of the motor strategies produced to control the motion to each target. We used linear mixed-effects models to assess differences between the control and SCI groups on end-point performance and muscle torque, and to assess the relationship of muscle torque with end-point performance and proprioceptive sense.

resultsGroups differed in motor strategies, but not end-point performance, when pointing to all three targets. Compared to controls, the SCI group had difficulty controlling knee muscle torque when performing the hip-flexion-only target (p = 0.008) or when flexing the hip and knee simultaneously (p = 0.0004). To complete the knee-flexion-only target, the SCI group had difficulties generating the required hip extensor muscle torque to maintain the thigh in neutral (p = 0.0001). These altered motor strategies in individuals with SCI were associated with proprioceptive impairments and end-point performance.

conclusionThis novel lower limb pointing task can identify disordered motor strategies in individuals with SCI, especially at the knee, and are associated with proprioceptive impairment. Variations of this paradigm can be employed to further understand differences in motor strategies between controls and individuals with SCI, and the impact of proprioceptive deficits.

Indexed as

Lower ExtremityProprioceptionSpinal Cord InjuriesAdultBiomechanical PhenomenaFemaleGaitHumansMaleMiddle AgedRoboticsYoung AdultFunctional testingInterjoint coordinationIntersegmental dynamicsMotor strategiesNeural control of movementProprioceptionSkilled lower limb movementsSpinal cord injury

Identifiers

PMID39955608
PMCPMC11829519

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LicenceCC BY
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.