Assessment of Hand Laterality Performance in Children with Obstetric Brachial Plexus Palsy

Year 2025, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 92 - 100, 30.12.2025

Hüseyin Mahiroğlu , Gülbin Ergin , Hande Gazeteci Tekin

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate hand laterality performance in children with obstetric brachial plexus palsy (OBPP) and to compare it with that of age-matched healthy peers, in order to explore possible cognitive reflections of central reorganization.
Methods: Fifty children (25 with unilateral OBPP and 25 healthy controls) aged 7–18 years participated in this case–control study. Hand laterality performance was assessed using the Recognise® Hand Program, which measures accuracy (%) and reaction time (s) during right–left hand identification tasks. Group comparisons were analyzed using independent and paired statistical tests (p < 0.05).
Results: The OBPP group showed significantly lower right- and left-hand accuracy rates than the control group (p < 0.05), whereas reaction times did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). Within-group analyses revealed that children identified images corresponding to their dominant hand more accurately and rapidly than those of the non-dominant hand.
Conclusion: Reduced laterality accuracy with preserved reaction time suggests that children with OBPP may retain mental rotation and motor planning abilities, while the precision of sensory–motor representations is weakened. These findings indicate that OBPP involves both peripheral and central reorganization of sensorimotor integration. Early rehabilitation approaches such as motor imagery, mirror therapy, graded motor imagery, and bilateral task-oriented training may enhance both peripheral and central plasticity, promoting functional recovery in this population.

Keywords

Obstetrical brachial plexus palsy , Hand laterality , Motor imagery , Neuroplasticity

Ethical Statement

This study was approved by the Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee of İzmir Bakırçay University. All participants and their legal guardians provided written informed consent prior to participation, in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Supporting Institution

No financial or institutional support was received for this study.

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