Relationships Between Lower Limb Proprioception and Motor Function, Capacity and Performance in Children with Upper...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Pediatric Neurology

Background:

• Upper motor neuron (UMN) lesions affect motor control in children.
• Proprioception, the sense of body position, is crucial for motor function.
• Understanding the link between proprioception and motor outcomes in pediatric UMN lesions is vital for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the relationship between three proprioceptive modalities (joint movement sense, joint position sense, dynamic position sense) and motor outcomes in children with UMN lesions.
• To assess proprioceptive function using the sensor-based Proprioception Measurement Tool (ProMeTo).

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 48 children with UMN lesions (mean age 11.0 ± 3.5).
• Proprioception assessed at hip, knee, and ankle for JMS, JPS, and DPS.
• Motor outcomes included selective motor control, gait, balance, gross motor function, movement quality, and functional mobility.

Main Results:

• Children accurately identifying joint movement sense directions showed better motor outcomes.
• Negligible to moderate correlations (ρ = 0.01-0.55) were found between proprioceptive modalities and motor outcomes.
• Joint position sense (JPS) at the hip and ankle demonstrated the strongest relationships with motor function, movement quality, and mobility outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Proprioceptive function, particularly JPS, is moderately associated with motor capacity and movement quality in children with UMN lesions.
• These findings suggest that proprioceptive training could be beneficial for improving motor function in this population.
• Further research is necessary to confirm these associations and explore clinical applications.