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Tudella E.1, Righetto Greco A.L.1, Cazotti A.M.1, Sato N.T.d.S.1
1Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Fisioterapia, São Carlos, Brazil
Background: Trunk control is an important motor milestone acquired in a segmental sequence around 2 to 3 months of age, as it enables the infant to have vertical control and carry out functional activities. It is known that premature infants may present deficiencies related to the development of trunk control, and consequently motor performance. However, there are few studies that identify the exact level of trunk control and motor performance in this population.
Purpose: To describe and compare the trunk control level and motor performance among premature infants at 6 and 7 months of corrected age.
Methods: Ten premature infants took part in this cross-sectional study, and were divided into two groups: 6 months (G6, n = 5, gestational age: 214±42,82 days) and 7 months (G7, n = 5, gestational age: 241,2±16,84 days). The Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo) was used to assess the trunk control level. The infant was placed in a sitting posture on a wooden bench, with the pelvis maintained in a neutral position using a belt system. To identify the infant´s motor performance, the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) was used. To do this, the recommendations described in the manual were followed. The following were considered as dependent variables: trunk control level (SATCo) and the total score (AIMS). The absolute frequency for the trunk control level and the mean and standard deviation for the total AIMS scores were calculated. We used the independent t-test to compare the trunk control level and motor performance between G6 and G7.
Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the trunk control level and motor performance between G6 and G7 (p = 1.00 and p = 0.69, respectively). In relation to the trunk control level, the infants in G6 had control from the upper thoracic level (level 2) to the high lumbar level (level 5), while the infants in G7 group showed trunk control from the upper thoracic level ( level 2) to the lower lumbar level (level 6). In the motor performance, infants in G6 and G7 showed a mean score of 25.8 and 28.6, respectively.
Conclusion(s): The trunk control level and motor performance of premature infants do not differ at 6 and 7 months of age.
Implications: The assessment of the trunk control level and motor performance helps clinical therapists to identify more accurately the development of infants according to their age and birth condition.
Funding acknowledgements: This study was financed by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).
Topic: Disability & rehabilitation
Ethics approval: Approved by the Ethics and Research Committee at the Federal University of São Carlos, under protocol no. 206.501.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
