Kinematic analysis of the daily activity of drinking from a glass in a population with cervical spinal cord injury

This study uses three-dimensional kinematic analysis to examine how people with different levels of cervical spinal cord injury perform the everyday task of drinking from a glass, compared to individuals without such injuries. The study focuses on movement times, velocities, and joint angles of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist to identify differences between those with C6 tetraplegia, C7 tetraplegia, and a control group. The findings aim to provide insights for tailoring therapeutic interventions and designing assistive devices like wearable robots, specifically to aid individuals with cervical spinal cord injuries in performing activities of daily living.

• 1
  Subjects with C6 tetraplegia performed the drinking task at a slower velocity and with more prolonged phases compared to the control group.
• 2
  The most significant differences among the groups were observed in the wrist movements.
• 3
  Wrist palmar flexion was greater in C6 and C7 tetraplegia groups during the back transport phase, while maximum wrist dorsal flexion occurred during the forward transport phase to optimize the tenodesis effect for grasping.