Kinematic Assessment of Lower Extremity Movement Variability in Children with Tourette Syndrome

Ru-Yun Chung, Wen-Yu Liu, Hen-Yu Lien, Huei-Shyong Wang, Lin-Ya Hsu
Purpose:

The aim of this study was to examine the differences in movement variability during the learning process between children with TS and children with TD.The aim of this study was to examine the differences in movement variability during the learning process between children with TS and children with TD.

Methods:

This study recruited ten children with TS (9.5 ± 1.7years old) and ten children with TD (10.0± 2.0 years old), all of whom had similar motor competency based on the descriptive classifications of the BOT-2 scale score. The task involved backward riding on a Pedalo (Pedalo® Reha-Bar S, Holz-Hoerz, Germany) for 48 trials, organized into 8 blocks of trials each, all completed in a single day. Kinematic data were recorded using seven VICON cameras (Vero v2.2, VICON Motion System, Ltd., UK) at a frequency of 100 Hz, capturing the 3D positions of all markers attached to the participants. Vicon’s Plug-in Gait Model was then used to calculate joint angles from the marker position. Movement variability, measured by the number of zero crossings in angular acceleration, was analyzed using a custom-made LabVIEW program. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare differences between groups and across blocks, with a significance level set at 0.05.

Results:

Children with TD showed increased movement variability from the first to the eighth block. Significant differences in movement variability were found between children with TS and children with TD, including the dominant knee (p=0.008) and ankle (p=0.049), as well as the non-dominant hip (p=0.014) and knee (p=0.016).

Conclusion(s):

Despite having similar motor competency, the results of this study demonstrated that children with TD exhibited increased movement variability during the learning of the Pedalo backward riding task, while children with TS did not.

Implications:

Understanding the movement variability observed between the two groups may help identify movement patterns that could be beneficial in improving motor skills in children with TS.

Funding acknowledgements:
School of Physical Therapy and Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Keywords:
Tourette syndrome
Movement Variability
Lower Extremity
Primary topic:
Paediatrics
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
Chang Gung Medical Foundation Institutional Review Board
Provide the ethics approval number:
202002546A3C602
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
No

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