Kinematic measures of upper-extremity performance in the home setting for an individual post-stroke: A case report

Volitional use of the paretic upper-extremity after hemiparetic stroke is necessary for positive functional and neurological improvement. Unfortunately, much of the recovery process occurs outside of the purview of the trained clinician. Thus, maximizing recovery necessitates the development of tools that can monitor, and eventually intervene in, motor performance for individuals in ambient settings. The goal of this study is to evaluate the ability of tools developed to monitor performance in a lab to reveal meaningful information regarding performance in ambient settings. Using spectral analysis techniques developed for in-laboratory settings, we perform a case study analysis of an individual with chronic hemiparetic stroke. In particular, we evaluate the relationship of temporal and spectral kinematic characteristics of performance and the amount of limb use of the paretic and non paretic arms to determine function over the course of a 3-day monitoring period. By comparing kinematics to the amount of limb use, we describe the meaningfulness of our spectral measures for monitoring in-home performance. We find that spectral measures sensitive to performance differences in the paretic and non paretic limbs, in the lab, are also sensitive in the home setting. This may indicate that these tools can be used to evaluate motor performance in ambient settings, and reveal the progression of motor recovery in the home setting.