Daily Life Benefits and Usage Characteristics of Dynamic Arm Supports in Subjects with Neuromuscular Disorders

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 20; no. 17; p. 4864
• Main Authors: Essers, Johannes, Murgia, Alessio, Peters, Anneliek, Meijer, Kenneth
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28.08.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Accelerometers; Activities of Daily Living; activity monitoring; Arm; Bias; Data analysis; dynamic arm support; Humans; motor performance; Neuromuscular diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases - rehabilitation; neuromuscular disorders; Quality of Life; Self Report; Self-Help Devices; Sensors; upper extremities; Upper Extremity; Wheelchairs; Netherlands; activity monitoring; dynamic arm support; motor performance; upper extremities; neuromuscular disorders
• DOI: 10.3390/s20174864
• ISSN: 1424-8220

Neuromuscular disorders cause progressive muscular weakness, which limits upper extremity mobility and performance during activities of daily life. Dynamic arm supports can improve mobility and quality of life. However, their use is often discontinued over time for unclear reasons. This study aimed to evaluate whether users of dynamic arm supports demonstrate and perceive quantifiable mobility benefits over a period of two months. Nine users of dynamic arm supports were included in this observational study. They had different neuromuscular disorders and collectively used four different arm supports. They were observed for three consecutive weeks during which they were equipped with a multi-sensor network of accelerometers to assess the actual use of the arm support and they were asked to provide self-reports on the perceived benefits of the devices. Benefits were experienced mainly during anti-gravity activities and the measured use did not change over time. The self-reports provided contextual information in domains such as participation to social life, in addition to the sensor system. However self-reports overestimated the actual use by up to three-fold compared to the accelerometer measures. A combination of objective and subjective methods is recommended for meaningful and quantifiable mobility benefits during activities of daily life.