Muscle Activation Patterns During Movement Attempts in Children With Acquired Spinal Cord Injury: Neurophysiological Assessment of Residual Motor Function Below the Level of Lesion

This study assesses how children with spinal cord injuries (SCI) can still activate muscles below their injury level when trying to move. Researchers used electromyography (EMG) to record muscle activity in children with SCI and typically developing (TD) children during standardized movement attempts. The goal was to understand the patterns of muscle activation in children with SCI compared to TD children, focusing on whether children with SCI could still produce muscle activation below their injury level. The study found that many children with SCI could produce some muscle activation below their injury level, although the patterns of activation were different from those of TD children. This suggests that there may be residual descending influence on spinal motor circuits after SCI in children.

• 1
  Evidence of intentional leg muscle activation below the level of lesion was found in 11/24 children with SCI, and was classified based on activation pattern.
• 2
  Trace activation, bilateral (generalized) activation, and unilateral or isolated activation occurred in 32, 49, and 8% of movement tasks, respectively.
• 3
  Activation of the erector spinae muscles, recorded at the T10–T12 vertebral level, was observed in all children with SCI, regardless of injury level or severity.