ArticlePloS one2025
Longitudinal trajectories of muscle impairments in growing boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Longitudinal interaction between muscle impairments and gait pathology in growing children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2025Observational
- Spinal Sagittal Alignment Assessment and Hip Range of Motion in Ambulatory Boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Reliability, Diagnosis and Implications for Physiotherapy Management.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Muscle weakness but also contractures contribute to the progressive gait pathology in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a simulation study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2025Article
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9 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundInsights into the progression of muscle impairments in growing boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) remain incomplete due to the frequent oversight of normal maturation as a confounding factor, thereby restricting the delineation of sole pathological processes.
objectiveTo establish longitudinal trajectories for a comprehensive integrated set of muscle impairments, including muscle weakness, contractures and muscle size alterations, while correcting for normal maturation, in DMD.
methodsThirty-three boys with DMD (aged 4.3-17 years) were included. Fixed dynamometry, goniometry, and 3D freehand ultrasound were used to repeatedly assess lower limb muscle strength, passive range of motion (ROM) and muscle size, resulting in 161, 178 and 64 assessments for the strength, ROM and ultrasound dataset, respectively. To account for natural strength development, ROM reduction, and muscle growth in growing children, muscle outcomes were converted to unit-less z-scores calculated in reference to typically developing (TD) peers. This allows the interpretation of the muscle outcomes as deficits or alterations with respect to TD. Mixed-effect models estimated the longitudinal change in muscle impairments.
resultsAt 4.3-4.9 years of age, all muscle strength outcomes and several ROMs (i.e., dorsiflexion, hamstrings, and hip extension) showed deficits relative to TD, while m. medial gastrocnemius size was increased. Most muscle outcomes remained stable or slightly improved until the ages of 6.6-9.4 years (except knee flexion strength). After this period, muscle strength (-0.27 to -0.45 z-score/year; p < 0.0044), dorsiflexion ROM (-0.23 to -0.33 z-score/year; p < 0.0007), m. medial gastrocnemius size (-0.56 z-score/year; p = 0.0022), and m. rectus femoris size (-0.36 z-score/year; p = 0.0054) declined.
conclusionsThe current study established longitudinal trajectories of muscle impairments in boys with DMD. The results provided enriched history data and revealed promising outcome measures that could enhance the detection of the efficacy of novel therapeutic strategies. Future studies are necessary to validate these outcomes.
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