Postural muscle responses in the spinal cord injured persons during forward reaching
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Updated: Oct 19, 2026
Assessing Forelimb Function after Unilateral Cervical SCI using Novel Tasks: Limb Step-alternation, Postural Instability and Pasta Handling
Published on: September 16, 2013
Y J Potten1, H A Seelen, J Drukker
1Institute for Rehabilitation Research (iRv), Hoensbroek, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
To compensate for postural muscle function loss spinal cord injured (SCI) people have to use parts of the sensorimotor system which are still intact. In this study, postural control was investigated in high and low thoracic SCI people and in able-bodied controls, using a bimanual forward-reaching task. Muscle activity was recorded bilaterally from the erector spinae (ES) at level L3, T9 and T3, latissimus dorsi (LD), ascending part of the trapezius muscle (TPA), serratus anterior (SA), sternocostal head of the pectoralis major (PM) and the oblique abdominal muscles (OA) by means of surface electromyography. Sitting balance was monitored by measuring the changes in the location of the centre of pressure (CP) using a force platform. Muscle activity analyzed in different phases of the movement showed that SCI people adopt different postural adjustments to face the balance changes due to the reaching movement. SCI people make alternative use of non-postural muscles like the LD and TPA to maintain their sitting balance.
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