Developmental changes in upper limb muscle synergies during throwing: A comparison between preschoolers and schoolers.

ABSTRACT: Throwing is a fundamental motor behavior that undergoes marked refinement during childhood, yet the neuromuscular mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. We compared upper limb muscle synergies in preschool-aged (3-5 years; n = 13) and school-aged (6-9 years; n = 8) children during overarm throwing. Participants threw balls toward a fixed target while electromyographic activity from 16 upper limb muscles and ball kinematics were recorded. Muscle synergies, extracted using non-negative matrix factorization, were analyzed for structure and sparseness. School-aged children exhibited higher ball velocity, improved accuracy, and greater synergy sparseness, reflecting more selective muscle recruitment. Cluster analysis identified eight synergy clusters in schoolers versu

SUBMITTER: Saito H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12481115 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature