Laura Peeters

1 General Introduction | 17 THESIS OUTLINE In chapter 2 , a literature review is presented addressing the current knowledge of trunk-UE and trunk-head interactions in patients with a flaccid trunk and in healthy children. This chapter clearly indicates the need for further research on this topic in patients with DMD and SMA. Because knowledge of trunk motion is also scarce in healthy children and youngsters, especially with regard to movement of individual trunk segments, chapter 3 provides insight in the interactions between trunk, UE and head movements in typically developing children when performing seated daily tasks. This chapter specifically focuses on movements of individual trunk segments. Chapters 4 and 5 report studies on trunk function in boys/men with DMD (chapter 4) and people with SMA (chapter 5) when performing seated UE tasks. Trunk movement, muscle activity, and maximum joint torque are investigated and compared to healthy controls. Chapter 6 summarizes and discusses the work described in this thesis. A comparison will be made between the different disorders described in the individual chapters to answer the last research question. Furthermore, it will elaborate on the clinical implications of the studies in this thesis and provide recommendations for future research.