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Inter-Limb Muscle Synergies and Kinematic Analysis of Hands-and-Knees Crawling in Typically Developing Infants and

Qi L Xiong1,2, Xiao Y Wu1,2,3, Jun Yao4

  • 1Key Laboratory for Biorheological Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.

Frontiers in Neurology
|November 3, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Infants with confirmed developmental delay exhibit less smooth crawling movements and altered muscle synergies compared to typically developing infants. This suggests central nervous system impairments impact motor control strategies in early development.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental neuroscience
  • Motor control
  • Clinical assessment

Background:

  • Hands-and-knees crawling is a key motor milestone reflecting central nervous system (CNS) development.
  • Clinical assessments use crawling to detect motor delays, but the CNS contribution to these delays is unclear.
  • Understanding crawling kinematics and muscle synergies can reveal CNS impairment effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare inter-limb muscle synergy and kinematics during crawling in infants with typical development (TD), at risk of developmental delay (ARDD), and with confirmed developmental delay (CDD).
  • To investigate the association between CNS impairment and crawling movement characteristics.

Main Methods:

  • Collected surface electromyography (EMG) from eight arm and leg muscles and joint kinematic data from infants during crawling.
  • Analyzed temporal-spatial parameters, normalized Jerk-Cost (JC) for movement smoothness, and inter-limb muscle synergies using EMG.
  • Compared crawling parameters between TD (N=20), ARDD (N=33), and CDD (N=13) infants matched for developmental age.

Main Results:

  • Infants with CDD showed significantly higher normalized JC values (reduced smoothness), fewer muscle synergies, and more co-activating muscles per synergy compared to TD and ARDD infants (p < 0.05).
  • Normalized JC values correlated with the number of co-activating muscles per synergy (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

  • Infants with confirmed developmental delay exhibit a constrained neuromuscular control strategy, likely due to neurological injury.
  • This constrained strategy contributes to reduced movement smoothness during crawling in infants with CDD.
  • Crawling analysis provides insights into CNS-related motor control deficits in infants.

Keywords:
EMGinfant crawlingkinematicsmotor developmental delaymuscle synergy

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