Abstract
The purpose of this study was to analyze the disability among patients with ataxia, as a measure of the evaluation system about coordination of patients and then it would apply this evaluation to the treatment about coordinated mechanism of the trunk.
In this study, 40 ataxia patients were diagnosed as spino cerebellar degeneration (SCD) and as cerebrovascular disease. The average age was 55.6 years ranging from 20 to 79. Those patients were evaluated by the standard neurological examination (deep tendon reflexes, muscle strength and deep sensation), coordinated examination system of upper and lower extremities and 4 steps classification stage for coordinated mechanism of the trunk from the original method of authors. Among some patients, deflection of center of gravity during both seating and standing posture was measured.
In the result, coordinated mechanism of the trunk was related more closely to movement abilities than coordinated function of lower extremities. There was a significant correlation between deflection of the center of gravity during a seating posture and coordinated classification of the trunk.
Those data revealed that the coordination of the trunk was activiated separately from function of lower extremities. Much data about mechanism of the trunk and considering functional disorder are much important to give some evaluation and treatment among patients with ataxia.
