Upper extremity effort during the sit-to-stand task in able-bodied and in individuals with spinal cord injury: A preliminary study

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between the presence of spinal cord injury (SCI) on biomechanical variables by comparing individuals with SCI and able-bodied individuals during the sit-to-stand (STS) task assisted by a walker device. Specifically, we compared the upper-extremity joint angles and moments, trunk forward tilt angle, vertical forces of the instrumented walker, and ground reaction forces between groups.DesignCase-control study.SettingDepartment of Orthopedics and Traumatology, UNICAMP-Brazil.ParticipantsSix individuals with SCI and fourteen able-bodied individuals.Main outcome measuresKinematics and kinetics of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints; trunk forward tilt angle, vertical walker forces, and ground reaction forces (GRF) were analyzed during the STS task in two phases: before and after the seat-off event.ResultsA higher peak elbow flexion angle and higher vertical walker forces were observed before the seat-off, whereas the lower peak vertical GRF was found, after the seat-off, in the SCI group compared with the control group.ConclusionsSCI affects kinematics and kinetics variables during the STS task compared to able-bodied controls. Individuals with SCI adopted different standing-up strategies that affected the distribution of the forces in the upper and lower extremities of the human body.