Comparison of Reaching Motion between Elderly and Young adults Using an Electronic Evaluation System of Upper Extremity Function

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of ageing on reaching motion using a simple and quantitative method. An Electronic Evaluation System of Upper Extremity Function incorporating a motion sensor was used to monitor kinematic changes during a whack-a-mole type task. Sixteen healthy elderly adults (3 males and 13 females, mean age 78.8±6.0 years) and nineteen young adults (3 males and 16 females, mean age 22.1±2.8 years) participated in this study. The participants were asked to continue tapping 16 targets randomly presented on the screen. Based on the kinematic data, the tremor value, spatial travel distance, tapping time, and maximal spatial acceleration were calculated. Differences between elderly and young adults were tested using unpaired-t test. Significant differences were observed in all kinematic parameters, suggesting decreased reaching motion in elderly adults. Moreover, overall positive correlations between parameters were found. Our results suggest that kinematic parameters calculated from the motion sensor technology could be useful to evaluate reaching motion quantitatively and simply.