Quantification of the development of trunk control in healthy infants using inertial measurement units
Janneke Blok (Student TU Delft)
Katherine L. Poggensee (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering, Erasmus MC)
Daniel Lemus (Erasmus MC, TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)
Manon Kok (TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)
Robert F. Pangalila (Erasmus MC, Rijndam Revalidatie)
Heike Vallery (Erasmus MC, TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)
Jolien Deferme (Rijndam Revalidatie)
Leontien Toussaint-Duyster (Erasmus MC)
Herwin Horemans (Erasmus MC, TU Delft - Mechanical Engineering)
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Abstract
Trunk motor control is essential for the proper functioning of the upper extremities and is an important predictor of gait capacity in children with delayed development. Early diagnosis and intervention could increase the trunk motor capabilities in later life, but current tools used to assess the level of trunk motor control are largely subjective and many lack the sensitivity to accurately monitor development and the effects of therapy. Inertial measurement units could yield an objective quantitative assessment that is inexpensive and easy-to-implement. We hypothesized that root mean square of jerk, a proxy for movement smoothness, could be used to distinguish age and thereby presumed motor development. We attached a sensor to the trunks of six young children with no known developmental deficits. Root mean square of jerk decreases with age, up to 24 months, and is correlated to a more established method, i.e., center-of-pressure velocity, as well as other standard inertial measurement unit outputs. This metric therefore shows potential as a method to differentiate trunk motor control levels.