A study on tapping movements of patients with cerebral palsy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the deviation of tapping points and electromyographic activity in patients with cerebral palsy. The subjects in this study were 6 normal subjects as the control group and 4 subjects with cerebral palsy as the patient group. Twenty tapping movements and electromyographic activities in the bilateral masseter, anterior temporal, anterior digastric, and sternocleidomastoid muscles were recorded simultaneously with Gnatho-Hexagraph. The results were as follows: 1. The differences of the opening distance and the cycle of tapping movements between the patient group and the control group were not significant, but coefficients of variation of the patient group were greater than those of the control group. 2. The deviations of tapping points in the patient group were significantly greater anteroposteriorly, laterally, and vertically than those in the control group. 3. In the patient group, electromyographic activities of masseter and sternocleidomastoid muscles during tapping movements were significantly greater than those in the control group. 4. In the patient group, electromyographic activities of the anterior temporal muscles were significantly less symmetric than those in the control group.