gross motor control – American ME and CFS Society

Abstract:

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to a variety of persistent sequelae, collectively known as long COVID-19. Deficits in postural balance have been reported in patients several months after COVID-19 infection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the static balance and balance of individuals with long COVID-19 using inertial sensors in smartphones.

Methods: A total of 73 participants were included in this study, of which 41 had long COVID-19 and 32 served as controls. All participants in the long COVID-19 group reported physical complaints for at least 7 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Participants were evaluated using a built-in inertial sensor of a smartphone attached to the low back, which recorded inertial signals during a static balance and mobility task (timed up and go test). The parameters of static balance and mobility obtained from both groups were compared.

Results: The groups were matched for age and BMI. Of the 41 participants in the long COVID-19 group, 22 reported balance impairment and 33 had impaired balance in the Sharpened Romberg test. Static balance assessment revealed that the long COVID-19 group had greater postural instability with both eyes open and closed than the control group. In the TUG test, the long COVID-19 group showed greater acceleration during the sit-to-stand transition compared to the control group.

Conclusion: The smartphone was feasible to identify losses in the balance motor control and mobility of patients with long-lasting symptomatic COVID-19 even after several months or years. Attention to the balance impairment experienced by these patients could help prevent falls and improve their quality of life, and the use of the smartphone can expand this monitoring for a broader population.

Source: Corrêa BDC, Santos EGR, Belgamo A, Pinto GHL, Xavier SS, Silva CC, Dias ÁRN, Paranhos ACM, Cabral ADS, Callegari B, Costa E Silva AA, Quaresma JAS, Falcão LFM, Souza GS. Smartphone-based evaluation of static balance and mobility in long-lasting COVID-19 patients. Front Neurol. 2023 Dec 11;14:1277408. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1277408. PMID: 38148981; PMCID: PMC10750373. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10750373/ (Full text)

Abstract:

PURPOSE: This paper aimed to investigate motor proficiency in fine and gross motor function, with a focus on reaction time (RT) and movement skill, in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) compared to healthy controls (HC).

METHODS: A total of 60 individuals (20 CFS, 20 FM, and 20 HC), age 19-49 years, participated in this study. Gross motor function in the lower extremity was assessed using a RT task during gait initiation in response to an auditory trigger. Fine motor function in the upper extremity was measured during a precision task (the Purdue Pegboard test) where the number of pins inserted within 30 s was counted.

RESULTS: No significant differences were found between FM and CFS in any parameters. FM and CFS groups had significantly longer RT than HC in the gait initiation (p=0.001, and p=0.004 respectively). In the Purdue Pegboard test, 20% in the FM group, 15% in the CFS groups, and 0% of HC group, scored below the threshold of the accepted performance. However, there were no significant differences between FM, CFS, and HC in this task (p=0.12).

CONCLUSION: Compared to controls, both CFS and FM groups displayed significantly longer RT in the gait initiation task. Generally, FM patients showed the worst results in both tests, although no group differences were found in fine motor control, according to the Purdue Pegboard test.

Source: Rasouli O, Fors EA, Borchgrevink PC, Öhberg F, Stensdotter AK. Gross and fine motor function in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. J Pain Res. 2017 Feb 7;10:303-309. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S127038. ECollection 2017. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5304994/ (Full article)