Table 4.
Selected locomotion and balance studies using muscle synergies.
| Reference | Pathology | Aim | Subjects | Tasks | Muscles (segments) | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [17] Clark et al. 2010 | Stroke | Evaluate change in motor control | 55 patients 20 healthy subjects |
Overground walking and treadmill | 16 (lower limbs) | (i) Reduced synergies in patients (ii) Number of synergies related to walking performance |
| [18] Ferrante et al. 2016 | Stroke | Design a multichannel functional electrical stimulation controller | 2 patients 13 healthy subjects |
Overground walking and treadmill | 7 (lower limb) | (i) Four synergies in healthy subjects (ii) Three synergies in patients (iii) Four synergies after FES |
| [19] Kautz et al. 2017 | Stroke | Evaluate change in motor control | 56 patients 17 healthy subjects |
Overground walking and treadmill | 16 (lower limbs) | (i) Similar muscle synergies in the two walking conditions |
| [20] Gizzi et al. 2011 | Stroke | Evaluate change in motor control | 10 patients 10 healthy subjects |
6 m long walking | 32 (full-body) | (i) Different muscle synergy vectors (ii) Similar activation profiles and number of synergies |
| [22] Hashiguchi et al. 2016 | Stroke | Evaluate change in muscle synergies due to rehabilitation | 13 patients | Overground walking | 8 (lower limb) | (i) Same number of muscle synergies (ii) Merging synergies as an index for motor coordination |
| [23] Coscia et al. 2015 | Stroke | Assess the relationship between gait asymmetry and muscle synergies | 12 patients 10 healthy subjects |
Walking on a treadmill | 24 (lower limbs) | (i) Similar muscle synergies in less affected limb (ii) Altered muscle synergy organization in the affected limb |
| [24] Barroso et al. 2017 | Stroke | Assess the walking performance | 9 patients | Overground walking | 22 (trunk and lower limb) | (i) Fewer synergies in the paretic side (ii) Muscle synergies useful for walking performance assessment |
| [25] Steele et al. 2015 | Cerebral palsy | Examine motor modification | 549 patients 84 healthy children |
Overground walking | 5 (lower limb) | (i) Reduced synergies in patients (ii) Number of synergies as index for CP assessment |
| [27] Shuman et al. 2017 | Cerebral palsy | Evaluate the repeatability of muscle synergies across days | 5 patients 6 healthy children |
Overground walking | 16 (lower limbs) | (i) Reduced synergies in patients (ii) Muscle synergies repeatable between days in both groups |
| [28] Fox et al. 2013 | Spinal cord injury | Evaluate change in motor control | 5 patients 5 healthy children |
Locomotion tasks | 12 (lower limb) | (i) Reduced synergies in patients (ii) Similar modular organization for all tested tasks |
| [29] Hayes et al. 2014 | Spinal cord injury | Quantify neuromuscular deficits in muscle coordination | 8 patients 8 healthy subjects |
Overground walking | 14 (lower limb) | (i) Different synergy organization (ii) Similar synergy during walking with metronome |
| [30] Allen et al. 2017 | Parkinson's disease | Assess changes in control of gait and balance after dance-based rehabilitation | 9 patients | Dance (tango) | 13 (lower back and limb) | (i) No modifications in muscle synergies (ii) Decrease in muscle synergy variability |
| [31] Rodriguez et al. 2013 | Parkinson's disease | Evaluate change in motor control | 15 patients 14 healthy older |
Walking on a treadmill | 16 (lower limbs) | (i) Reduced synergies in patients (ii) Similar muscle synergies (iii) Different activation profiles |
| [32] Lencioni 2016 | Multiple sclerosis | Evaluate change in motor control | 17 patients 12 healthy subjects |
Overground walking | 8 (lower limb) | (i) Similar muscle synergy organization (ii) Different activation profiles |
| [33] Serrancolì et al. 2016 | Anterior cruciate ligament | Evaluate change in motor control | 18 patients 10 healthy subjects |
Overground walking | 16 (lower limbs) | (i) Higher cocontraction in patients (ii) Different activation profiles |
| [34] Monaco et al. 2010 | Aging | Evaluate change in motor control | 7 younger subjects 7 older subjects |
Overground walking | 12 (lower limb) | (i) Similar muscle synergy organization |
| [51] Tang et al. 2015 | Cerebral palsy | Assess lower extremity dysfunction | 12 patients 8 healthy children 10 healthy adults |
Overground walking | 16 (lower limbs) | (i) Greater variability in muscle synergy organization in patients (ii) Relationship between muscle synergies and motor dysfunctions |