Body Awareness in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Association With Balance and Trunk Control

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Pediatrics
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive neuromuscular disorder affecting ambulatory children.
• Body awareness, balance, and trunk control are crucial for motor function and daily activities.
• Limited research exists on body awareness deficits in children with DMD and their impact on motor control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare body awareness between children with DMD and healthy controls.
• To investigate the relationship between body awareness, balance, and trunk control in children with DMD.

Main Methods:

• Forty-two ambulatory children with DMD and 40 healthy peers participated.
• Body awareness was assessed using the New York Posture Scale (NYPS).
• Balance and trunk control were evaluated using the Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) and Trunk Control Measurement Scale (TCMS), respectively.

Main Results:

• Children with DMD showed significantly higher impairment in body awareness than healthy peers (p = 0.035).
• A significant negative correlation was observed between impaired body awareness and balance (r = -0.478, p = 0.001).
• Impaired body awareness was strongly correlated with poor trunk control in children with DMD (r = -0.661, p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Ambulatory children with DMD possess diminished body awareness.
• Poor body awareness is a significant factor associated with impaired balance and trunk control in this population.
• Clinical assessment and therapeutic interventions for DMD should consider body awareness deficits.