Project R-7963

Muscle fatigability in upper limb strength tasks in children with cerebral palsy. (Research)

This proposal aims at investigating muscle fatigability in upper limb strength tasks in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The main reason for this research is that children with CP have difficulties in using their arms and hands due to decreased muscle strength. Most problems in arm and hand functioning arise in sustained muscle strength tasks, like holding on to objects, which implicates that muscle fatigability may also play a role. Muscle fatigability can be defined as a reduction in muscle force-generating capacity in the neuromuscular system that occurs during prolonged or ongoing activity. The proposed research contains four major aims. The first aim is to gain insight in literature on muscle fatigability in pediatric populations. The second aim is to identify a calculation to quantitatively evaluate muscle fatigability in these children. The third aim is to evaluate whether children with CP are more fatigable than typically developing children, to profile muscle fatigability in children with CP and to identify the impact of fatigability on upper limb activities and participation. The fourth aim is to identify aspects of known interventions in children with CP that may have an effect on muscle fatigability and to gain preliminary insight in the effectiveness of the identified aspects of interventions on muscle fatigability in children with CP. These insights in the phenomenon of muscle fatigability in children with CP will result in optimizing treatment interventions.

01 September 2017 - 31 August 2021