Reach Distance and Movement Strategy Patterns During the Functional Reach Test of Psychiatric Patients

Abstract

Abstract.[Purpose] Ability in activities of daily living of psychiatric patients is decreased because of postural control and voluntary movement disorders, and the quality of life of inpatients is also decreased. As preliminary research for evaluating standing balance of psychiatric patients, the purpose of this study was to investigate reach distance and movement strategy while subjects performed the functional reach test.[Subjects] Thirty-eight psychiatric patients and 38 healthy elderly control volunteers participated in this study.[Methods] Reach distance and movement strategy patterns were measured while subjects performed the functional reach test.[Results] The reach distance of the psychiatric patients was significantly shorter than that of the controls. The hip strategy was most often used by both patients and controls. Patients were more likely to select the ankle movement strategy than controls.[Conclusion] Based on the above findings, we speculate that the hip strategy is the ideal movement strategy for safely extending the reach distance of both psychiatric patients and controls. However, psychiatric patients were more likely to select the ankle movement strategy than controls.

Effects of balance training on functional outcome after total knee replacement in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial

“…Other researchers had reported that hip strategy provides an ideal, safe method for evaluating functional reach. 36 However, patients with knee osteoarthritis who receive total knee replacement showed an adaptive change in their strategy of balance reactivity and postural control. 5 Gauchard et al 16 demonstrated that function- based and balance-based training after total knee replacement improved patients’ compensatory adjustment of knee joint proprioception, and stimulated the activation of an increased number of proprioceptors in the hip and ankle joints.…”