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Updated: Jan 3, 2026
Measurements of Motor Function and Other Clinical Outcome Parameters in Ambulant Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Published on: January 12, 2019
Monitoring daily physical activity of upper extremity in young and adolescent boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy:
Annette van der Geest1, Johannes M N Essers2, Arjen Bergsma3
1Department of Rehabilitation, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Introduction:
Accelerometry of the upper extremity (UE) potentially provides information on the extent of activities in daily life in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The objective of this study is to evaluate the validity of home measurements of UE accelerometry.
Methods:
This was a cross-sectional study in 16 patients with DMD (aged 7-17 years). Patients were monitored for 1 to 3 days with two accelerometers on the UE and one accelerometer on the wheelchair.
Results:
The mean intensity of activity and the mean frequency of transfers of arm elevation from low to middle were approximately twofold higher in patients with a Brooke scale score of 1 or 2 than in patients with a Brooke scale score of 3 or 4. Correlations with the Performance of Upper Limb scale score were high for intensity and for the total frequency of arm elevations per hour.
Discussion:
Intensity, percentage of time in middle orientation, and frequency of transfers of the upper arm correlated well with functional measurements.
