Arippa Federico, Pau Massimiliano, Marcello Rosa, Atzeni Laura, Simone Vullo Salvatore, Monticone Marco
Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
Heliyon. 2024 May 6;10(9):e30665. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30665. eCollection 2024 May 15.
Individuals who experienced severe Traumatic Brain Injury (sTBI) are often characterized by relevant motor dysfunctions which are likely to negatively affect activities of daily living and quality of life and often persist for years. However, detailed objective information about their magnitude are scarce. The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess the extent of motor deficits in terms of postural control effectiveness under static and dynamic conditions and to investigate the existence of possible correlations between the results of clinical tests and instrumental measures. Postural sway and functional mobility (i.e., instrumented Timed Up and Go test, iTUG) were objectively measured in 18 individuals with sTBI and 18 healthy controls using a pressure plate and a wearable inertial sensor. Additionally, participants with history of sTBI completed the Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI). One-way ANOVA and Spearman's rank correlation analysis were employed to examine differences between the two groups and determine potential correlations between the instrumental tests and clinical scales. The results show that people with sTBI were characterized by larger sway area and longer iTUG walking sub-phase. Significant correlations were also detected between RMI scores and iTUG total duration, as well as the walking phase. Taken together, these findings suggest that, even years after the initial injury, individuals with sTBI appear characterized by impaired postural control and functional mobility, which appears correlated with the RMI score. The integration of instrumental measures with clinical scales in the routine assessment and treatment of individuals with sTBI would result in more comprehensive, objective, and sensitive evaluations, thus improving precision in treatment planning, enabling ongoing progress monitoring, and highlighting the presence of motor deficits even years after the initial injury. Such integration is of importance for enhancing the long-term quality of life for individuals with sTBI.
经历过重度创伤性脑损伤（sTBI）的个体通常具有相关的运动功能障碍，这些障碍可能会对日常生活活动和生活质量产生负面影响，并且常常会持续数年。然而，关于这些功能障碍严重程度的详细客观信息却很匮乏。本研究的目的是在静态和动态条件下，从姿势控制有效性的角度定量评估运动功能缺陷的程度，并研究临床测试结果与仪器测量结果之间可能存在的相关性。使用压力板和可穿戴惯性传感器，对18名患有sTBI的个体和18名健康对照者的姿势摆动和功能移动性（即仪器化计时起立行走测试，iTUG）进行了客观测量。此外，有sTBI病史的参与者完成了Rivermead移动指数（RMI）测试。采用单因素方差分析和Spearman等级相关分析来检验两组之间的差异，并确定仪器测试与临床量表之间的潜在相关性。结果表明，患有sTBI的人具有更大的摆动面积和更长的iTUG行走子阶段。在RMI评分与iTUG总时长以及行走阶段之间也检测到了显著相关性。综上所述，这些发现表明，即使在初次受伤数年之后，患有sTBI的个体仍表现出姿势控制和功能移动性受损，这似乎与RMI评分相关。在sTBI个体的常规评估和治疗中，将仪器测量与临床量表相结合，将产生更全面、客观和敏感的评估，从而提高治疗计划的精确性，实现对病情进展的持续监测，并突出即使在初次受伤数年之后仍存在的运动功能缺陷。这种整合对于提高sTBI个体的长期生活质量具有重要意义。
