Effects Of Seat‐Surface Inclination On Postural Stability And Function Of The Upper Extremities Of Children With Cerebral Palsy

This study investigated the effects of seat‐surface inclination on parameters of postural stability and functional use of the upper extremity. 10 non‐impaired children and 10 children with cerebral palsy, aged between four and 15 years, were studied. Seat‐suface inclinations of 0d̀, 5d̀ anteriorly and 5d̀ posteriorly were used as the experimental conditions. Significant differences were observed on most dependent measures between the two groups. The results suggest that anteriorly tilting the seats of children with cerebral palsy may disturb postural stability, without improving performance of the upper extremity.

[1]  A. C. Mandal WORK-CHAIR WITH TILTING SEAT , 1975, The Lancet.

[2]  L. Wendt,et al.  IMPROVEMENT OF FUNCTIONAL SITTING POSITION FOR CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY , 1991, Developmental medicine and child neurology.

[3]  L. Wendt,et al.  Reducing spasticity and enhancing postural control for the creation of a functional sitting position in children with cerebral palsy: A pilot study , 1990 .

[4]  M. Hardin,et al.  The influence of adaptive seating devices on vocalization. , 1989, Journal of communication disorders.

[5]  E. Kamon,et al.  Posture and Subjective Evaluation at Flat and Slanted Desks , 1976, Human factors.

[6]  S. White,et al.  Analysis of upper extremity movement in four sitting positions: a comparison of persons with and without cerebral palsy. , 1991, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[7]  S. Acher,et al.  Effects of adaptive seating devices on the eating and drinking of children with multiple handicaps. , 1987, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[8]  L. Fetters,et al.  Quantification of control: a preliminary study of effects of neurodevelopmental treatment on reaching in children with spastic cerebral palsy. , 1990, Physical therapy.

[9]  The effect of positioning on the hand function of boys with cerebral palsy. , 1989, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[10]  M Hagberg,et al.  Trunk posture and load on the trapezius muscle whilst sitting at sloping desks. , 1984, Ergonomics.

[11]  A. C. Mandal,et al.  The Seated Man. Theories and Realities , 1982 .

[12]  B. Seeger,et al.  HAND FUNCTION IN CEREBRAL PALSY: THE EFFECT OF HIP‐FLEXION ANGLE , 1984, Developmental medicine and child neurology.

[13]  M. Sussman,et al.  Electromyographic Investigation of Extensor Activity in Cerebral‐palsied Children in Different Seating Positions , 1983, Developmental medicine and child neurology.

[14]  O. Nwaobi,et al.  EFFECT OF ADAPTIVE SEATING ON PULMONARY FUNCTION OF CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY , 1986, Developmental medicine and child neurology.

[15]  Jörgen Eklund,et al.  Evaluation of spinal loads and chair design in seated work tasks. , 1987, Clinical biomechanics.

[16]  T. Bendix,et al.  Seated Trunk Posture at Various Seat Inclinations, Seat Heights, and Table Heights , 1984 .

[17]  N. Finnie Handling the young cerebral palsied child at home , 1968 .

[18]  Isabella Buddeberg An Investigation of Postural Sway in Sitting of Normal Children and Children with Neurological Disorders , 1992 .

[19]  Pamela C Stewart,et al.  Straddle Seating for the Cerebral Palsied Child , 1987 .

[20]  B. McClenaghan Sitting stability of selected subjects with cerebral palsy , 1989 .

[21]  Dennis Zacharkow Wheelchair posture and pressure sores , 1984 .