RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between the presence of spinal cord injury (SCI) on biomechanical variables by comparing individuals with SCI and able-bodied individuals during the sit-to-stand (STS) task assisted by a walker device. Specifically, we compared the upper-extremity joint angles and moments, trunk forward tilt angle, vertical forces of the instrumented walker, and ground reaction forces between groups. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, UNICAMP-Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: Six individuals with SCI and fourteen able-bodied individuals. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Kinematics and kinetics of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints; trunk forward tilt angle, vertical walker forces, and ground reaction forces (GRF) were analyzed during the STS task in two phases: before and after the seat-off event. RESULTS: A higher peak elbow flexion angle and higher vertical walker forces were observed before the seat-off, whereas the lower peak vertical GRF was found, after the seat-off, in the SCI group compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: SCI affects kinematics and kinetics variables during the STS task compared to able-bodied controls. Individuals with SCI adopted different standing-up strategies that affected the distribution of the forces in the upper and lower extremities of the human body.
