Emerging Techniques for Assessment of Sensorimotor Impairments after Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Gait function can be altered after incomplete spinal cord iSCI lesions. Muscular weakness, co-activation of antagonist muscles, and altered muscle mechanics are likely to provoke abnormal gait and postural movements. Functional scales are available for assessment of functional walking in SCI patients, such as walking index for spinal cord injury WISCI II , timed up and go TUG test, -meter walk test MWT , andminute walk test MWT . Novel metrics for a more detailed comprehension of neuromuscular control in terms of degree of voluntary motor control have been recently proposed. This section describes novel techniques based on muscle synergy and frequency domain analysis of electromyographic signals. Such techniques are illustrated as potential tools for assessment of motor function after SCI with experimental data and a case study describing a diagnostic scenario. This chapter presents a discussion of the current status of the emerging metrics for assessment of sensorimotor impairments. Conclusions are given with respect to the availability of enriched information about neuromuscular behavior between functional tasks walking and pedalling and the potential relevance of these new techniques to improve the efficacy of treatment to improve locomotion after iSCI.

Noninvasive Modalities Used in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation

“…These neural changes happen throughout the life span at both the brain and spinal cord level. However, not all plasticity is beneficial: adverse changes may also appear [12]. This is known as maladaptive plasticity and encompasses events such as excessive plasticity associated with some disease symptoms like focal dystonia, spasticity, and chronic pain.…”