Evaluation of elbow joint proprioception with RehabRoby: a pilot study
Abstract
Methods: The study included 20 volunteer, healthy students studying either physiotherapy (PT) (5 females and 5 males) or electrical and electronics engineering (EEE) (5 females and 5 males). Using the RehabRoby, they were asked to flex their elbow joints in pronation actively and then against a comfortable resistance to the target angles (20º, 45º and 90º), with eyes open and closed. Angle of movement and applied torque for each target angle and error of movement with respect to the target angle (error of matching) were recorded as absolute values. Participants’ socio-demographic and physical features were also evaluated.
Results: Physiotherapy students had less matching error at 45º with eyes opened than EEE students. A negative correlation was found between resistive elbow flexion and applied torque while eyes closed at 20º (p<0.05). Biceps brachii strength and being female were significant predictive factors for the least matching error in active elbow flexion at 20º with eyes closed. Error of matching at 45º without vision was lower in the PT group (-0.31) than in the EEE group (0.77). In addition, it was noticed that biceps brachii muscle strength played an important role in the proprioceptive sense of the motion at 20º.
Conclusion: The RehabRoby can be considered a usable system for the evaluation of joint proprioception sense. With future validity studies, the RehabRoby may be used to assess, diagnose and improve the proprioceptive sense of patients.
Keywords
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Health Care Administration
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Fatih Ozkul
This is me
Duygun Barkana
This is me
Sule Demirbas
This is me
Serap Inal
This is me
Publication Date
December 24, 2012
Submission Date
March 7, 2014
Acceptance Date
-
Published in Issue
Year 2012 Volume: 46 Number: 5