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Sample records for standing posture predict

  1. A New Standing Posture Detector to Enable People with Multiple Disabilities to Control Environmental Stimulation by Changing Their Standing Posture through a Commercial Wii Balance Board

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shih, Ching-Hsiang; Shih, Ching-Tien; Chiang, Ming-Shan

    2010-01-01

    This study assessed whether two persons with multiple disabilities would be able to control environmental stimulation using body swing (changing standing posture) and a Wii Balance Board with a newly developed standing posture detection program (i.e. a new software program turns a Wii Balance Board into a precise standing posture detector). The…

  2. The Control of Posture in Newly Standing Infants is Task Dependent

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claxton, Laura J.; Melzer, Dawn K.; Ryu, Joong Hyun; Haddad, Jeffrey M.

    2012-01-01

    The postural sway patterns of newly standing infants were compared under two conditions: standing while holding a toy and standing while not holding a toy. Infants exhibited a lower magnitude of postural sway and more complex sway patterns when holding the toy. These changes suggest that infants adapt postural sway in a manner that facilitates…

  3. Components of Standing Postural Control Evaluated in Pediatric Balance Measures: A Scoping Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sibley, Kathryn M; Beauchamp, Marla K; Van Ooteghem, Karen; Paterson, Marie; Wittmeier, Kristy D

    2017-10-01

    To identify measures of standing balance validated in pediatric populations, and to determine the components of postural control captured in each tool. Electronic searches of MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL databases using key word combinations of postural balance/equilibrium, psychometrics/reproducibility of results/predictive value of tests, and child/pediatrics; gray literature; and hand searches. Inclusion criteria were measures with a stated objective to assess balance, with pediatric (≤18y) populations, with at least 1 psychometric evaluation, with at least 1 standing task, with a standardized protocol and evaluation criteria, and published in English. Two reviewers independently identified studies for inclusion. There were 21 measures included. Two reviewers extracted descriptive characteristics, and 2 investigators independently coded components of balance in each measure using a systems perspective for postural control, an established framework for balance in pediatric populations. Components of balance evaluated in measures were underlying motor systems (100% of measures), anticipatory postural control (72%), static stability (62%), sensory integration (52%), dynamic stability (48%), functional stability limits (24%), cognitive influences (24%), verticality (9%), and reactive postural control (0%). Assessing children's balance with valid and comprehensive measures is important for ensuring development of safe mobility and independence with functional tasks. Balance measures validated in pediatric populations to date do not comprehensively assess standing postural control and omit some key components for safe mobility and independence. Existing balance measures, that have been validated in adult populations and address some of the existing gaps in pediatric measures, warrant consideration for validation in children. Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Adolescent standing postural response to backpack loads: a randomised controlled experimental study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pirunsan Ubon

    2002-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Backpack loads produce changes in standing posture when compared with unloaded posture. Although 'poor' unloaded standing posture has been related to spinal pain, there is little evidence of whether, and how much, exposure to posterior load produces injurious effects on spinal tissue. The objective of this study was to describe the effect on adolescent sagittal plane standing posture of different loads and positions of a common design of school backpack. The underlying study aim was to test the appropriateness of two adult 'rules-of-thumb'-that for postural efficiency, backpacks should be worn high on the spine, and loads should be limited to 10% of body weight. Method A randomised controlled experimental study was conducted on 250 adolescents (12–18 years, randomly selected from five South Australian metropolitan high schools. Sagittal view anatomical points were marked on head, neck, shoulder, hip, thigh, knee and ankle. There were nine experimental conditions: combinations of backpack loads (3, 5 or 10% of body weight and positions (backpack centred at T7, T12 or L3. Sagittal plane photographs were taken of unloaded standing posture (baseline, and standing posture under the experimental conditions. Posture was quantified from the x (horizontal coordinate of each anatomical point under each experimental condition. Differences in postural response were described, and differences between conditions were determined using Analysis of Variance models. Results Neither age nor gender was a significant factor when comparing postural response to backpack loads or conditions. Backpacks positioned at T7 produced the largest forward (horizontal displacement at all the anatomical points. The horizontal position of all anatomical points increased linearly with load. Conclusion There is evidence refuting the 'rule-of-thumb' to carry the backpack high on the back. Typical school backpacks should be positioned with the centre at waist or

  5. Static trunk posture in sitting and standing during pregnancy and early postpartum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilleard, Wendy L; Crosbie, Jack; Smith, Richard

    2002-12-01

    To investigate the postural alignment of the upper body in the sagittal plane during sitting and standing postures as pregnancy progressed and then in the postpartum period. Longitudinal, repeated-measures design. Biomechanics laboratory in an Australian university. A volunteer convenience sample of 9 primiparous and multiparous women and 12 nulliparous women serving as a control group. Not applicable. Subjects were filmed while sitting and during quiet standing at intervals throughout pregnancy and at 8 weeks postpartum. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to assess systematic changes in the alignment of the pelvic, thoracic, and head segments, and the thoracolumbar and cervicothoracic spines. Student t tests were used to compare the postpartum and nulliparous control groups. There was no significant effect of pregnancy on the upper-body posture, although there was a tendency in some subjects for a flatter thoracolumbar spinal curve in sitting as pregnancy progressed. Postpartum during standing, the pelvic segment had a reduced sagittal plane anterior orientation, and the thoracolumbar spine was less extended, indicating a flatter spinal curve compared with the control group. There was no significant effect of pregnancy on upper-body posture during sitting and standing, although individuals varied in their postural response. A flatter spinal curve was found during standing postpartum. Copyright 2002 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

  6. Blood pressure and blood flow variation during postural change from sitting to standing: model development and validation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olufsen, M.S.; Ottesen, Johnny T.; Tran, H.T.

    2005-01-01

    Short-term cardiovascular responses to postural change from sitting to standing involve complex interactions between the autonomic nervous system, which regulates blood pressure, and cerebral autoregulation, which maintains cerebral perfusion. We present a mathematical model that can predict...... dynamic changes in beat-to-beat arterial blood pressure and middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity during postural change from sitting to standing. Our cardiovascular model utilizes 11 compartments to describe blood pressure, blood flow, compliance, and resistance in the heart and systemic circulation....... To include dynamics due to the pulsatile nature of blood pressure and blood flow, resistances in the large systemic arteries are modeled using nonlinear functions of pressure. A physiologically based submodel is used to describe effects of gravity on venous blood pooling during postural change. Two types...

  7. Early development of postural adjustments in standing with and without support

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hedberg, Asa; Schmitz, Christina; Forssberg, Hans; Hadders-Algra, Mijna

    This study investigates the early development of postural adjustments during external perturbations in two different standing positions: standing with support and standing without support. The aim of the study was to assess a group of 13 infants four times during the period in life when independent

  8. Standing working posture compared in pregnant and non-pregnant conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, J A; Frings-Dresen, M H

    1994-09-01

    During pregnancy, an increase in body weight occurs together with changes in body weight distribution and in fit between body dimensions and workplace layout. These changes may cause alterations in working posture which may, in turn, have adverse consequences for the biomechanical load on the musculoskeletal system and so increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Using photographic posture registration, the standing working posture was studied in 27 women during the last stage of pregnancy and after delivery (the experimental group). The women performed an assembly task while standing at various workplace layouts. The postural differences between the pregnant condition and the non-pregnant condition were studied and the effect of the various workplace layouts assessed. Ten non-pregnant controls were also studied twice to establish the effect of the time interval between the measuring occasions. We found that the women of the experimental group stood further from the work surface in the pregnant condition compared to the non-pregnant condition, the hips were positioned more backwards, and, in order to reach the tesk, they increased the flexion of the trunk, increased the anteflexion of the upper arms, and extended the arms more. At the workplace layout in which the work surface height was self-selected, the postural differences due to pregnancy were smallest or even absent, compared to the postural differences in the other workplace layouts studied. Ergonomists and workers in occupational health services should be alert to the consequences for the biomechanical load on the musculoskeletal system and the risk of development of health complaints caused by postural changes due to pregnancy. An adjustable workplace layout may prevent some problems.

  9. Postural adjustments associated with voluntary contraction of leg muscles in standing man.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nardone, A; Schieppati, M

    1988-01-01

    The postural adjustments associated with a voluntary contraction of the postural muscles themselves have been studied in the legs of normal standing men. We focussed on the following questions. Do postural adjustments precede the focal movement as in the case of movements of the upper limb? Which muscle(s) are involved in the task of stabilizing posture? Can the same postural muscle be activated in postural stabilization and in voluntary movement at the same time, in spite of the opposite changes in activity possibly required by these conditions? Six subjects standing on a dynamometric platform were asked to rise onto the tips their toes by contracting their soleus muscles, or to rock on their heels by contracting their tibialis anterior muscles. The tasks were made in a reaction time (RT) situation or in a self-paced mode, standing either freely or holding onto a stable structure. Surface EMGs of leg and thigh muscles, and the foot-floor reaction forces were recorded. The following results were obtained in the RT mode, standing freely. 1. Rising onto toe tips: a striking silent period in soleus preceded its voluntary activation; during this silent period, a tibialis anterior burst could be observed in three subjects; these anticipatory activities induced a forward sway, as monitored by a change in the force exerted along the x axis of the platform. 2. Rocking on heels: an enhancement in tonic EMG of soleus was observed before tibialis anterior voluntary burst, at a mean latency from the go-signal similar to that of the silent period; this anticipatory activity induced a backward body sway. 3. Choice RT conditions showed that the above anticipatory patterns in muscle activity were pre-programmed, specific for the intended tasks, and closely associated with the focal movement. When both tasks were performed in a self-paced mode, all the above EMG and mechanical features were more pronounced and unfolded in time. If the subjects held onto the frame, the early

  10. Standing footprint diagnostic method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Y. F.; Fan, Y. B.; Li, Z. Y.; Newman, T.; Lv, C. S.; Fan, Y. Z.

    2013-10-01

    Center of pressure is commonly used to evaluate standing balance. Even though it is incomplete, no better evaluation method has been presented. We designed our experiment with three standing postures: standing with feet together, standing with feet shoulder width apart, and standing with feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Our platform-based pressure system collected the instantaneous plantar pressure (standing footprint). A physical quantity of instantaneous standing footprint principal axis was defined, and it was used to construct an index to evaluate standing balance. Comparison between results from our newly established index and those from the center of pressure index to evaluate the stability of different standing postures revealed that the standing footprint principal axis index could better respond to the standing posture change than the existing one. Analysis indicated that the insensitive response to the relative position between feet and to the standing posture change from the center of pressure could be better detected by the standing footprint principal axis index. This predicts a wide application of standing footprint principal axis index when evaluating standing balance.

  11. Contribution of Head Position, Standing Surface, and Vision to Postural Control in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pociask, Fredrick D; DiZazzo-Miller, Rosanne; Goldberg, Allon; Adamo, Diane E

    2016-01-01

    Postural control requires the integration of sensorimotor information to maintain balance and to properly position and orient the body in response to external stimuli. Age-related declines in peripheral and central sensory and motor function contribute to postural instability and falls. This study investigated the contribution of head position, standing surface, and vision on postural sway in 26 community-dwelling older adults. Participants were asked to maintain a stable posture under conditions that varied standing surface, head position, and the availability of visual information. Significant main and interaction effects were found for all three factors. Findings from this study suggest that postural sway responses require the integration of available sources of sensory information. These results have important implications for fall risks in older adults and suggest that when standing with the head extended and eyes closed, older adults may place themselves at risk for postural disequilibrium and loss of balance. Copyright © 2016 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

  12. Standing Postural Control in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Yi Huey; Partridge, Katie; Girdler, Sonya; Morris, Susan L.

    2017-01-01

    Impairments in postural control affect the development of motor and social skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This review compared the effect of different sensory conditions on static standing postural control between ASD and neurotypical individuals. Results from 19 studies indicated a large difference in postural control…

  13. The Predictive Value of the Foot Posture Index on Dynamic Function

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mølgaard, Carsten Møller; Olesen Gammelgaard, Christian; Nielsen, R. G.

    2008-01-01

    Keenan et. al. identified the six-item version of the Foot Posture Index (FPI) as a valid, simple and clinically useful tool. The model combines measures of the standing foot posture in multiple planes and anatomical segments. It provides an alternative to existing static clinical measures when...... dynamic measures are not feasible. Redmond et. al. found the model able to predict 41% of the variation in the complex rotation of the ankle joint, representing inversion/eversion, during midstance of walking. To our knowledge no studies have been published on the relationship between FPI and the movement...

  14. Effect of higher muscle coactivation on standing postural response to perturbation in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagai, Koutatsu; Okita, Yusuke; Ogaya, Shinya; Tsuboyama, Tadao

    2017-04-01

    Although several studies have reported that muscle coactivation during postural control increases with age, the effect of higher muscle coactivation on standing postural response to perturbation is unknown. To investigate whether higher muscle coactivation affects standing postural response to perturbation in older adults. Thirty-four community-dwelling older participants were randomly assigned either to the coactivation group (CG), where muscle coactivation was increased intentionally, or to the non-coactivation group (NCG). The participants were instructed to stand on a force plate that moved forward or backward. Electromyography data were collected from the lower leg muscles. We requested the participants in the CG to increase the activity of their tibialis anterior, and to maintain this posture during the tasks. We moved the force plate with a constant amplitude and velocity, and measured kinematic data with a camera during the tasks. During forward transfer, the knee extension and hip flexion decreased in the CG after perturbation compared to NCG, and the trunk extension angle increased. The center of pressure (COP) displacement decreased around the peak of the movement in the CG compared to NCG. During backward transfer, ankle dorsal and knee flexion changed after perturbation in the CG compared to NCG. Our study found that higher muscle coactivation inhibits lower limb and COP movement as well as increases trunk tilt and the risk for falls during forward perturbations. Postural control with higher coactivation appears to be inefficient for maintaining balance during the backward sway of posture.

  15. Influence of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to the Cerebellum on Standing Posture Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yasuto Inukai

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Damage to the vestibular cerebellum results in dysfunctional standing posture control. Patients with cerebellum dysfunction have a larger sway in the center of gravity while standing compared with healthy subjects. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS is a noninvasive technique for selectively exciting or inhibiting specific neural structures with potential applications in functional assessment and treatment of neural disorders. However, the specific stimulation parameters for influencing postural control have not been assessed. In this study, we investigated the influence of tDCS when applied over the cerebellum on standing posture control. Sixteen healthy subjects received tDCS (20 min, 2 mA over the scalp 2 cm below the inion. In experiment 1, all 16 subjects received tDCS under three stimulus conditions, Sham, Cathodal, and Anodal, in a random order with the second electrode placed on the forehead. In experiment 2, five subjects received cathodal stimulation only with the second electrode placed over the right buccinator muscle. Center of gravity sway was measured twice for 60 s before and after tDCS in a standing posture with eyes open and legs closed, and average total locus length, locus length per second, rectangular area, and enveloped area were calculated. In experiment 1, total locus length and locus length per second decreased significantly after cathodal stimulation but not after anodal or sham stimulation, while no tDCS condition influenced rectangular or enveloped areas. In experiment 2, cathodal tDCS again significantly reduced total locus length and locus length per second but not rectangular and enveloped areas. The effects of tDCS on postural control are polarity-dependent, likely reflecting the selective excitation or inhibition of cerebellar Purkinje cells. Cathodal tDCS to the cerebellum of healthy subjects can alter body sway (velocity.

  16. Personality traits and individual differences predict threat-induced changes in postural control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaback, Martin; Cleworth, Taylor W; Carpenter, Mark G; Adkin, Allan L

    2015-04-01

    This study explored whether specific personality traits and individual differences could predict changes in postural control when presented with a height-induced postural threat. Eighty-two healthy young adults completed questionnaires to assess trait anxiety, trait movement reinvestment (conscious motor processing, movement self-consciousness), physical risk-taking, and previous experience with height-related activities. Tests of static (quiet standing) and anticipatory (rise to toes) postural control were completed under low and high postural threat conditions. Personality traits and individual differences significantly predicted height-induced changes in static, but not anticipatory postural control. Individuals less prone to taking physical risks were more likely to lean further away from the platform edge and sway at higher frequencies and smaller amplitudes. Individuals more prone to conscious motor processing were more likely to lean further away from the platform edge and sway at larger amplitudes. Individuals more self-conscious about their movement appearance were more likely to sway at smaller amplitudes. Evidence is also provided that relationships between physical risk-taking and changes in static postural control are mediated through changes in fear of falling and physiological arousal. Results from this study may have indirect implications for balance assessment and treatment; however, further work exploring these factors in patient populations is necessary. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Variation between seated and standing/walking postures among male and female call centre operators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toomingas Allan

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The dose and time-pattern of sitting has been suggested in public health research to be an important determinant of risk for developing a number of diseases, including cardiovascular disorders and diabetes. The aim of the present study was to assess the time-pattern of seated and standing/walking postures amongst male and female call centre operators, on the basis of whole-shift posture recordings, analysed and described by a number of novel variables describing posture variation. Methods Seated vs. standing/walking was recorded using dichotomous inclinometers throughout an entire work shift for 43 male and 97 female call centre operators at 16 call centres. Data were analysed using an extensive set of variables describing occurrence of and switches between seated and standing/walking, posture similarity across the day, and compliance with standard recommendations for computer work. Results The majority of the operators, both male and female, spent more than 80% of the shift in a seated posture with an average of 10.4 switches/hour between seated and standing/walking or vice versa. Females spent, on average, 11% of the day in periods of sustained sitting longer than 1 hour; males 4.6% (p = 0.013. Only 38% and 11% of the operators complied with standard recommendations of getting an uninterrupted break from seated posture of at least 5 or 10 minutes, respectively, within each hour of work. Two thirds of all investigated variables showed coefficients of variation between subjects above 0.5. Since work tasks and contractual break schedules were observed to be essentially similar across operators and across days, this indicates that sedentary behaviours differed substantially between individuals. Conclusions The extensive occurrence of uninterrupted seated work indicates that efforts should be made at call centres - and probably in other settings in the office sector - to introduce more physical variation in terms of standing

  18. Pelvic morphology, body posture and standing balance characteristics of adolescent able-bodied and idiopathic scoliosis girls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stylianides, Georgios A; Dalleau, Georges; Begon, Mickaël; Rivard, Charles-Hilaire; Allard, Paul

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine how pelvic morphology, body posture, and standing balance variables of scoliotic girls differ from those of able-bodied girls, and to classify neuro-biomechanical variables in terms of a lower number of unobserved variables. Twenty-eight scoliotic and twenty-five non-scoliotic able-bodied girls participated in this study. 3D coordinates of ten anatomic body landmarks were used to describe pelvic morphology and trunk posture using a Flock of Birds system. Standing balance was measured using a force plate to identify the center of pressure (COP), and its anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) displacements. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed to determine differences between the two groups. A factor analysis was used to identify factors that best describe both groups. Statistical differences were identified between the groups for each of the parameter types. While spatial orientation of the pelvis was similar in both groups, five of the eight trunk postural variables of the scoliotic group were significantly different that the able-bodied group. Also, five out of the seven standing balance variables were higher in the scoliotic girls. Approximately 60% of the variation is supported by 4 factors that can be associated with a set of variables; standing balance variables (factor 1), body posture variables (factor 2), and pelvic morphology variables (factors 3 and 4). Pelvic distortion, body posture asymmetry, and standing imbalance are more pronounced in scoliotic girls, when compared to able-bodied girls. These findings may be beneficial when addressing balance and ankle proprioception exercises for the scoliotic population.

  19. The Complexity of Standing Postural Sway Associates with Future Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The MOBILIZE Boston Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Junhong; Habtemariam, Daniel; Iloputaife, Ikechukwu; Lipsitz, Lewis A; Manor, Brad

    2017-06-07

    Standing postural control is complex, meaning that it is dependent upon numerous inputs interacting across multiple temporal-spatial scales. Diminished physiologic complexity of postural sway has been linked to reduced ability to adapt to stressors. We hypothesized that older adults with lower postural sway complexity would experience more falls in the future. 738 adults aged ≥70 years completed the Short Physical Performance Battery test (SPPB) test and assessments of single and dual-task standing postural control. Postural sway complexity was quantified using multiscale entropy. Falls were subsequently tracked for 48 months. Negative binomial regression demonstrated that older adults with lower postural sway complexity in both single and dual-task conditions had higher future fall rate (incident rate ratio (IRR) = 0.98, p = 0.02, 95% Confidence Limits (CL) = 0.96-0.99). Notably, participants in the lowest quintile of complexity during dual-task standing suffered 48% more falls during the four-year follow-up as compared to those in the highest quintile (IRR = 1.48, p = 0.01, 95% CL = 1.09-1.99). Conversely, traditional postural sway metrics or SPPB performance did not associate with future falls. As compared to traditional metrics, the degree of multi-scale complexity contained within standing postural sway-particularly during dual task conditions- appears to be a better predictor of future falls in older adults.

  20. Support surface related changes in feedforward and feedback control of standing posture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohapatra, Sambit; Kukkar, Komal K; Aruin, Alexander S

    2014-02-01

    The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of different support surfaces on feedforward and feedback components of postural control. Nine healthy subjects were exposed to external perturbations applied to their shoulders while standing on a rigid platform, foam, and wobble board with eyes open or closed. Electrical activity of nine trunk and leg muscles and displacements of the center of pressure were recorded and analyzed during the time frames typical of feedforward and feedback postural adjustments. Feedforward control of posture was characterized by earlier activation of anterior muscles when the subjects stood on foam compared to a wobble board or a firm surface. In addition, the magnitude of feedforward muscle activity was the largest when the foam was used. During the feedback control, anterior muscles were activated prior to posterior muscles irrespective of the nature of surface. Moreover, the largest muscle activity was seen when the supporting surface was foam. Maximum CoP displacement occurred when subjects were standing on a rigid surface. Altering support surface affects both feedforward and feedback components of postural control. This information should be taken into consideration in planning rehabilitation interventions geared towards improvement of balance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Pelvic morphology, body posture and standing balance characteristics of adolescent able-bodied and idiopathic scoliosis girls.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georgios A Stylianides

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to determine how pelvic morphology, body posture, and standing balance variables of scoliotic girls differ from those of able-bodied girls, and to classify neuro-biomechanical variables in terms of a lower number of unobserved variables. Twenty-eight scoliotic and twenty-five non-scoliotic able-bodied girls participated in this study. 3D coordinates of ten anatomic body landmarks were used to describe pelvic morphology and trunk posture using a Flock of Birds system. Standing balance was measured using a force plate to identify the center of pressure (COP, and its anteroposterior (AP and mediolateral (ML displacements. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA was performed to determine differences between the two groups. A factor analysis was used to identify factors that best describe both groups. Statistical differences were identified between the groups for each of the parameter types. While spatial orientation of the pelvis was similar in both groups, five of the eight trunk postural variables of the scoliotic group were significantly different that the able-bodied group. Also, five out of the seven standing balance variables were higher in the scoliotic girls. Approximately 60% of the variation is supported by 4 factors that can be associated with a set of variables; standing balance variables (factor 1, body posture variables (factor 2, and pelvic morphology variables (factors 3 and 4. Pelvic distortion, body posture asymmetry, and standing imbalance are more pronounced in scoliotic girls, when compared to able-bodied girls. These findings may be beneficial when addressing balance and ankle proprioception exercises for the scoliotic population.

  2. Activation timing of postural muscles of lower legs and prediction of postural disturbance during bilateral arm flexion in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yaguchi, Chie; Fujiwara, Katsuo; Kiyota, Naoe

    2017-12-22

    Activation timings of postural muscles of lower legs and prediction of postural disturbance were investigated in young and older adults during bilateral arm flexion in a self-timing task and an oddball task with different probabilities of target presentation. Arm flexion was started from a standing posture with hands suspended 10 cm below the horizontal level in front of the body, in which postural control focused on the ankles is important. Fourteen young and 14 older adults raised the arms in response to the target sound signal. Three task conditions were used: 15 and 45% probabilities of the target in the oddball task and self-timing. Analysis items were activation timing of postural muscles (erector spinae, biceps femoris, and gastrocnemius) with respect to the anterior deltoid (AD), and latency and amplitude of the P300 component of event-related brain potential. For young adults, all postural muscles were activated significantly earlier than AD under each condition, and time of preceding gastrocnemius activation was significantly longer in the order of the self-timing, 45 and 15% conditions. P300 latency was significantly shorter, and P300 amplitude was significantly smaller under the 45% condition than under the 15% condition. For older adults, although all postural muscles, including gastrocnemius, were activated significantly earlier than AD in the self-timing condition, only activation timing of gastrocnemius was not significantly earlier than that of AD in oddball tasks, regardless of target probability. No significant differences were found between 15 and 45% conditions in onset times of all postural muscles, and latency and amplitude of P300. These results suggest that during arm movement, young adults can achieve sufficient postural preparation in proportion to the probability of target presentation in the oddball task. Older adults can achieve postural control using ankle joints in the self-timing task. However, in the oddball task, older adults

  3. Decreasing Internal Focus of Attention Improves Postural Control during Quiet Standing in Young Healthy Adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nafati, Gilel; Vuillerme, Nicolas

    2011-01-01

    This experiment was designed to investigate whether and how decreasing the amount of attentional focus invested in postural control could affect bipedal postural control. Twelve participants were asked to stand upright as immobile as possible on a force platform in one control condition and one cognitive condition. In the latter condition, they…

  4. Assisting People with Multiple Disabilities Actively Correct Abnormal Standing Posture with a Nintendo Wii Balance Board through Controlling Environmental Stimulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shih, Ching-Hsiang; Shih, Ching-Tien; Chu, Chiung-Ling

    2010-01-01

    The latest researches adopted software technology turning the Nintendo Wii Balance Board into a high performance change of standing posture (CSP) detector, and assessed whether two persons with multiple disabilities would be able to control environmental stimulation using body swing (changing standing posture). This study extends Wii Balance Board…

  5. Decreasing internal focus of attention improves postural control during quiet standing in young healthy adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nafati, Gilel; Vuillerme, Nicolas

    2011-12-01

    This experiment was designed to investigate whether and how decreasing the amount of attentional focus invested in postural control could affect bipedal postural control. Twelve participants were asked to stand upright as immobile as possible on a force platform in one control condition and one cognitive condition. In the latter condition, they performed a short-term digit-span memory task. Decreased center-of-gravity displacements and decreased center-of-foot-pressure displacements minus center-of-gravity displacements were observed in the cognitive condition relative to the control condition. These results suggest that shifting the attentional focus away from postural control by executing a concurrent attention-demanding task could increase postural performance and postural efficiency.

  6. Slice-based supine to standing postured deformation for chinese anatomical models and the dosimetric results by wide band frequency electromagnetic field exposure: Morphing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, T.; Tan, L.; Shao, Q.; Li, Y.; Yang, L.; Zhao, C.; Xie, Y.; Zhang, S.

    2013-01-01

    Digital human models are frequently obtained from supine-postured medical images or cadaver slices, but many applications require standing models. This paper presents the work of reconstructing standing Chinese adult anatomical models from supine postured slices. Apart from the previous studies, the deformation works on 2-D segmented slices. The surface profile of the standing posture is adjusted by population measurement data. A non-uniform texture amplification approach is applied on the 2-D slices to recover the skin contour and to redistribute the internal tissues. Internal organ shift due to postures is taken into account. The feet are modified by matrix rotation. Then, the supine and standing models are utilised for the evaluation of electromagnetic field exposure over wide band frequency and different incident directions. . (authors)

  7. Differences in axial segment reorientation during standing turns predict multiple falls in older adults

    OpenAIRE

    Wright, Rachel L.; Peters, Derek M.; Robinson, Paul D.; Sitch, Alice J.; Watt, Thomas N.; Hollands, Mark A.

    2012-01-01

    Author's version of an article in the journal: Gait and Posture. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2012.05.013 Background: The assessment of standing turning performance is proposed to predict fall risk in older adults. This study investigated differences in segmental coordination during a 360° standing turn task between older community-dwelling fallers and non-fallers. Methods: Thirty-five older adults age mean (SD) of 71 (5.4) years performed 360°...

  8. The Predictive Value of the Foot Posture Index on Dynamic Function

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mølgaard, Carsten Møller; Olesen Gammelgaard, Christian; Nielsen, R. G.

    Keenan et. al. identified the six-item version of the Foot Posture Index (FPI) as a valid, simple and clinically useful tool. The model combines measures of the standing foot posture in multiple planes and anatomical segments. It provides an alternative to existing static clinical measures when...

  9. The predictive value of the foot posture index on dynamic function

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Rasmus Gottschalk; Rathleff, Michael Skovdal; Kersting, U G

    2008-01-01

    Keenan et. al. identified the six-item version of the Foot Posture Index (FPI) as a valid, simple and clinically useful tool. The model combines measures of the standing foot posture in multiple planes and anatomical segments. It provides an alternative to existing static clinical measures when d...

  10. Chaos in balance: non-linear measures of postural control predict individual variations in visual illusions of motion.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deborah Apthorp

    Full Text Available Visually-induced illusions of self-motion (vection can be compelling for some people, but they are subject to large individual variations in strength. Do these variations depend, at least in part, on the extent to which people rely on vision to maintain their postural stability? We investigated by comparing physical posture measures to subjective vection ratings. Using a Bertec balance plate in a brightly-lit room, we measured 13 participants' excursions of the centre of foot pressure (CoP over a 60-second period with eyes open and with eyes closed during quiet stance. Subsequently, we collected vection strength ratings for large optic flow displays while seated, using both verbal ratings and online throttle measures. We also collected measures of postural sway (changes in anterior-posterior CoP in response to the same visual motion stimuli while standing on the plate. The magnitude of standing sway in response to expanding optic flow (in comparison to blank fixation periods was predictive of both verbal and throttle measures for seated vection. In addition, the ratio between eyes-open and eyes-closed CoP excursions during quiet stance (using the area of postural sway significantly predicted seated vection for both measures. Interestingly, these relationships were weaker for contracting optic flow displays, though these produced both stronger vection and more sway. Next we used a non-linear analysis (recurrence quantification analysis, RQA of the fluctuations in anterior-posterior position during quiet stance (both with eyes closed and eyes open; this was a much stronger predictor of seated vection for both expanding and contracting stimuli. Given the complex multisensory integration involved in postural control, our study adds to the growing evidence that non-linear measures drawn from complexity theory may provide a more informative measure of postural sway than the conventional linear measures.

  11. Posture changes and subfoveal choroidal blood flow.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longo, Antonio; Geiser, Martial H; Riva, Charles E

    2004-02-01

    To evaluate the effect of posture change on subfoveal choroidal blood flow (ChBF) in normal volunteers. The pulsatile, nonpulsatile, and mean ChBF were measured with laser Doppler flowmetry in 11 healthy volunteers with a mean age of 32 +/- 13 (SD) years. The posture of the subjects was changed from standing (90 degrees ), to supine (-8 degrees ), and back to standing, with a mechanically driven table. During the whole experimental procedure, ChBF and heart rate (HR) were continuously recorded. After 30 seconds in standing position, the subjects were tilted to supine during approximately 30 seconds. They remained in this position for approximately 2 minutes, after which they were tilted back to the standing position (recovery), where they remained for another approximately 2 minutes. Systemic brachial artery blood pressure (BP) was measured in the baseline, supine, and recovery positions. This procedure was repeated to measure the intraocular pressure (IOP) at the different postures. Mean BP did not change significantly throughout the experimental procedure. As the body was tilted from standing to supine, HR decreased by 16% (P blood velocity. Based on previously reported experimental data that indicate that the ocular perfusion pressure increases less than predicted by purely hydrostatic considerations when the body is tilted from the standing to the supine position, the observed increase in ChBF suggests a passive response of the choroidal circulation to the posture change.

  12. Complexity-Based Measures Inform Effects of Tai Chi Training on Standing Postural Control: Cross-Sectional and Randomized Trial Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wayne, Peter M.; Gow, Brian J.; Costa, Madalena D.; Peng, C.-K.; Lipsitz, Lewis A.; Hausdorff, Jeffrey M.; Davis, Roger B.; Walsh, Jacquelyn N.; Lough, Matthew; Novak, Vera; Yeh, Gloria Y.; Ahn, Andrew C.; Macklin, Eric A.; Manor, Brad

    2014-01-01

    Background Diminished control of standing balance, traditionally indicated by greater postural sway magnitude and speed, is associated with falls in older adults. Tai Chi (TC) is a multisystem intervention that reduces fall risk, yet its impact on sway measures vary considerably. We hypothesized that TC improves the integrated function of multiple control systems influencing balance, quantifiable by the multi-scale “complexity” of postural sway fluctuations. Objectives To evaluate both traditional and complexity-based measures of sway to characterize the short- and potential long-term effects of TC training on postural control and the relationships between sway measures and physical function in healthy older adults. Methods A cross-sectional comparison of standing postural sway in healthy TC-naïve and TC-expert (24.5±12 yrs experience) adults. TC-naïve participants then completed a 6-month, two-arm, wait-list randomized clinical trial of TC training. Postural sway was assessed before and after the training during standing on a force-plate with eyes-open (EO) and eyes-closed (EC). Anterior-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) sway speed, magnitude, and complexity (quantified by multiscale entropy) were calculated. Single-legged standing time and Timed-Up–and-Go tests characterized physical function. Results At baseline, compared to TC-naïve adults (n = 60, age 64.5±7.5 yrs), TC-experts (n = 27, age 62.8±7.5 yrs) exhibited greater complexity of sway in the AP EC (P = 0.023), ML EO (Padults. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01340365 PMID:25494333

  13. Sitting and standing postures are corrected by adjustable furniture with lowered muscle tension in high-school students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koskelo, R; Vuorikari, K; Hänninen, O

    2007-10-01

    This study compared the effect of 24 months of adjustable school desks and chairs usage (the intervention) and traditional non-adjustable usage (the control condition) on sitting and standing postures, muscle strength, classroom muscle tension, pain and learning in 15 (8 female and 7 male) high-school students and 15 anthropometrically and gender matched control students from neighbouring schools. It was assessed whether any responses took place after growth cessation. In comparison with controls, the intervention group of students' sitting postures standing kyphosis, scoliosis and lordosis became significantly better, both before and after growth cessation. Trunk muscle strength increased in the intervention students whose muscle tension during classes fell significantly in the trapezius and lumbar muscles, whereas in control students' lumbar tension increased. Headache and low-back pain correlated with neck-shoulder pain and trapezius muscle tension. Intervention students reported that they experienced benefits from the adjustable tables and chairs. They also received significantly better overall marks than the controls at the end of high school. It is concluded that the adjustable school desks and chairs promoted better sitting and standing postures, increased muscle strength, alleviated pain and appeared to be associated with better overall academic marks.

  14. Postural balance in low back pain patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maribo, Thomas; Schiøttz-Christensen, Berit; Jensen, Lone Donbæk

    2012-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Altered postural control has been observed in low back pain (LBP) patients. They seem to be more dependent on vision when standing. The objective of the study was to determine concurrent and predictive validity of measures of postural stability in LBP patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS......: Centre of Pressure (CoP) measurements were tested against pain, fear of pain, and physical function. Velocity, anterior-posterior displacement, and the Romberg Ratio obtained on a portable force platform were used as measures of postural stability. RESULTS: Baseline and 12-week follow-up results of 97....... CONCLUSION: This first study of concurrent and predictive validity of postural balance in LBP patients revealed no association between CoP measures and pain, fear of pain, and physical function....

  15. Slice-based supine-to-standing posture deformation for chinese anatomical models and the dosimetric results with wide band frequency electromagnetic field exposure: Simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, T.; Tan, L.; Shao, Q.; Li, Y.; Yang, L.; Zhao, C.; Xie, Y.; Zhang, S.

    2013-01-01

    Standing Chinese adult anatomical models are obtained from supine-postured cadaver slices. This paper presents the dosimetric differences between the supine and the standing postures over wide band frequencies and various incident configurations. Both the body level and the tissue/organ level differences are reported for plane wave and the 3T magnetic resonance imaging radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure. The influence of posture on the whole body specific absorption rate and tissue specified specific absorption rate values is discussed. . (authors)

  16. Effect of posture on hip joint moment during pregnancy, while performing a standing task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, J A; Sallé, H; Frings-Dresen, M H W

    1996-03-01

    In this paper the combined effect on reactive hip joint moment due to changes in (1) segment mass, (2) trunk centre of mass, and (3) working posture during pregnancy was estimated, and the relative contributions of these three changes to the change in the moment were assessed. The situation studied concerned standing work at a table. Sixteen women were studied monthly during pregnancy. The working posture was assessed by two-dimensional photographic posture recording and description. Body dimensions were measured to assess segment characteristics. A two-dimensional static model was used to estimate the reactive hip joint moment at 10, 20, 30 and 40 weeks of pregnancy. Between 10 and 40 weeks of pregnancy the moment increase was 52 Nm, i.e. the load at 40 weeks of pregnancy is 2.8 times the load at 10 weeks of pregnancy. On average half of this increase was due to postural changes. Changes in segment mass, trunk centre of mass, and the interaction between the three changes accounted for rougly 10, 20 and 15% of the load increase respectively. The increase in reactive hip joint moment may be minimized by preventing adverse postural changes, and optimizing the posture to reduce the contribution of changes in body weight (distribution).

  17. The Complexity of Standing Postural Sway Associates with Future Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The MOBILIZE Boston Study

    OpenAIRE

    Zhou, Junhong; Habtemariam, Daniel; Iloputaife, Ikechukwu; Lipsitz, Lewis A.; Manor, Brad

    2017-01-01

    Standing postural control is complex, meaning that it is dependent upon numerous inputs interacting across multiple temporal-spatial scales. Diminished physiologic complexity of postural sway has been linked to reduced ability to adapt to stressors. We hypothesized that older adults with lower postural sway complexity would experience more falls in the future. 738 adults aged ?70 years completed the Short Physical Performance Battery test (SPPB) test and assessments of single and dual-task st...

  18. Visual Vection does not Perturb Squatting Posture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dietrich Gilles

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Vision contributes fundamentally to the control of the standing posture. The illusion of self motion falsely perceived (vection increases postural sway while standing. In this paper we examine the effect of vection on both standing and deep squatting with the hypothesis that the squatting posture should not be disturbed by the conflict of sensory information due to vection. The results show that standing posture only was affected by the visual stimuli. The widespread use of squatting for work as well as rest could be due in part to this lack of effect of sensory perturbation on postural stability.

  19. Pelvic Morphology, Body Posture and Standing Balance Characteristics of Adolescent Able-Bodied and Idiopathic Scoliosis Girls

    OpenAIRE

    Stylianides, Georgios A.; Dalleau, Georges; Begon, Micka?l; Rivard, Charles-Hilaire; Allard, Paul

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine how pelvic morphology, body posture, and standing balance variables of scoliotic girls differ from those of able-bodied girls, and to classify neuro-biomechanical variables in terms of a lower number of unobserved variables. Twenty-eight scoliotic and twenty-five non-scoliotic able-bodied girls participated in this study. 3D coordinates of ten anatomic body landmarks were used to describe pelvic morphology and trunk posture using a Flock of Birds sys...

  20. Adaptation of postural responses during different standing perturbation conditions in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thigpen, Mary T; Cauraugh, James; Creel, Gwen; Day, Kristin; Flynn, Sheryl; Fritz, Stacy; Frost, Shirley; Respess, Robert; Gardner-Smith, Portia; Brack, Mia; Behrman, Andrea

    2009-01-01

    Incomplete spinal cord injury (ISCI) frequently disrupts afferent and efferent neural pathways underlying co-requisite voluntary and involuntary muscle activation required for functional standing and walking. To understand involuntary postural control mechanisms necessary for standing, we compared eight individuals with ISCI to eight controls with no impairment. The aim of this study was to investigate anticipatory and reactive balance responses in individuals with ISCI. The ability to adapt to changes in balance conditions was assessed by monitoring automatic postural responses (APRs) during a series of expected and unexpected changes in perturbation direction (backward translation versus toes-up rotation). Both groups were able to modulate appropriately within one or two trials following an unexpected change in condition. Onset times of anterior tibialis and medial gastrocnemius (MG) were significantly slower in the ISCI group during expected and unexpected conditions. These findings demonstrate that persons with mild to moderate lower extremity sensorimotor deficits are able to generate and adapt APRs to a rapid and unexpected contextual change during a simple standing balance task.

  1. Should Ballet Dancers Vary Postures and Underfoot Surfaces When Practicing Postural Balance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steinberg, Nili; Waddington, Gordon; Adams, Roger; Karin, Janet; Tirosh, Oren

    2018-01-01

    Postural balance (PB) is an important component skill for professional dancers. However, the effects of different types of postures and different underfoot surfaces on PB have not adequately been addressed. The main aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different conditions of footwear, surfaces, and standing positions on static and dynamic PB ability of young ballet dancers. A total of 36 male and female young professional ballet dancers (aged 14-19 years) completed static and dynamic balance testing, measured by head and lumbar accelerometers, while standing on one leg in the turnout position, under six different conditions: (1) "relaxed" posture; (2) "ballet" posture; (3) barefoot; (4) ballet shoes with textured insoles; (5) barefoot on a textured mat; and (6) barefoot on a spiky mat. A condition effect was found for static and dynamic PB. Static PB was reduced when dancers stood in the ballet posture compared with standing in the relaxed posture and when standing on a textured mat and on a spiky mat (p ballet shoes with textured insoles and when standing on a spiky mat compared with all other conditions (p ballet aligned position, including dance practice on different types of floors and on different types of textured/spiky materials may result in skill transfer to practice on normal floor surfaces, and both static and dynamic PB exercises should be assessed and generalized into practical dance routines.

  2. Complexity-Based Measures Inform Effects of Tai Chi Training on Standing Postural Control: Cross-Sectional and Randomized Trial Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wayne, Peter M; Gow, Brian J; Costa, Madalena D; Peng, C-K; Lipsitz, Lewis A; Hausdorff, Jeffrey M; Davis, Roger B; Walsh, Jacquelyn N; Lough, Matthew; Novak, Vera; Yeh, Gloria Y; Ahn, Andrew C; Macklin, Eric A; Manor, Brad

    2014-01-01

    Diminished control of standing balance, traditionally indicated by greater postural sway magnitude and speed, is associated with falls in older adults. Tai Chi (TC) is a multisystem intervention that reduces fall risk, yet its impact on sway measures vary considerably. We hypothesized that TC improves the integrated function of multiple control systems influencing balance, quantifiable by the multi-scale "complexity" of postural sway fluctuations. To evaluate both traditional and complexity-based measures of sway to characterize the short- and potential long-term effects of TC training on postural control and the relationships between sway measures and physical function in healthy older adults. A cross-sectional comparison of standing postural sway in healthy TC-naïve and TC-expert (24.5±12 yrs experience) adults. TC-naïve participants then completed a 6-month, two-arm, wait-list randomized clinical trial of TC training. Postural sway was assessed before and after the training during standing on a force-plate with eyes-open (EO) and eyes-closed (EC). Anterior-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) sway speed, magnitude, and complexity (quantified by multiscale entropy) were calculated. Single-legged standing time and Timed-Up-and-Go tests characterized physical function. At baseline, compared to TC-naïve adults (n = 60, age 64.5±7.5 yrs), TC-experts (n = 27, age 62.8±7.5 yrs) exhibited greater complexity of sway in the AP EC (P = 0.023), ML EO (P<0.001), and ML EC (P<0.001) conditions. Traditional measures of sway speed and magnitude were not significantly lower among TC-experts. Intention-to-treat analyses indicated no significant effects of short-term TC training; however, increases in AP EC and ML EC complexity amongst those randomized to TC were positively correlated with practice hours (P = 0.044, P = 0.018). Long- and short-term TC training were positively associated with physical function. Multiscale entropy offers a complementary

  3. Complexity-Based Measures Inform Effects of Tai Chi Training on Standing Postural Control: Cross-Sectional and Randomized Trial Studies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter M Wayne

    Full Text Available Diminished control of standing balance, traditionally indicated by greater postural sway magnitude and speed, is associated with falls in older adults. Tai Chi (TC is a multisystem intervention that reduces fall risk, yet its impact on sway measures vary considerably. We hypothesized that TC improves the integrated function of multiple control systems influencing balance, quantifiable by the multi-scale "complexity" of postural sway fluctuations.To evaluate both traditional and complexity-based measures of sway to characterize the short- and potential long-term effects of TC training on postural control and the relationships between sway measures and physical function in healthy older adults.A cross-sectional comparison of standing postural sway in healthy TC-naïve and TC-expert (24.5±12 yrs experience adults. TC-naïve participants then completed a 6-month, two-arm, wait-list randomized clinical trial of TC training. Postural sway was assessed before and after the training during standing on a force-plate with eyes-open (EO and eyes-closed (EC. Anterior-posterior (AP and medio-lateral (ML sway speed, magnitude, and complexity (quantified by multiscale entropy were calculated. Single-legged standing time and Timed-Up-and-Go tests characterized physical function.At baseline, compared to TC-naïve adults (n = 60, age 64.5±7.5 yrs, TC-experts (n = 27, age 62.8±7.5 yrs exhibited greater complexity of sway in the AP EC (P = 0.023, ML EO (P<0.001, and ML EC (P<0.001 conditions. Traditional measures of sway speed and magnitude were not significantly lower among TC-experts. Intention-to-treat analyses indicated no significant effects of short-term TC training; however, increases in AP EC and ML EC complexity amongst those randomized to TC were positively correlated with practice hours (P = 0.044, P = 0.018. Long- and short-term TC training were positively associated with physical function.Multiscale entropy offers a complementary

  4. Relationship between static foot posture and foot mobility

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    McPoil Thomas G

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background It is not uncommon for a person's foot posture and/or mobility to be assessed during a clinical examination. The exact relationship, however, between static posture and mobility is not known. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of association between static foot posture and mobility. Method The static foot posture and foot mobility of 203 healthy individuals was assessed and then analyzed to determine if low arched or "pronated" feet are more mobile than high arched or "supinated" feet. Results The study demonstrated that those individuals with a lower standing dorsal arch height and/or a wider standing midfoot width had greater mobility in their foot. In addition, those individuals with higher Foot Posture Index (FPI values demonstrated greater mobility and those with lower FPI values demonstrated less mobility. Finally, the amount of foot mobility that an individual has can be predicted reasonably well using either a 3 or 4 variable linear regression model. Conclusions Because of the relationship between static foot posture and mobility, it is recommended that both be assessed as part of a comprehensive evaluation of a individual with foot problems.

  5. Pelvis morphology, trunk posture and standing imbalance and their relations to the Cobb angle in moderate and severe untreated AIS.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georges Dalleau

    Full Text Available Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS is the most common form of scoliosis and usually affects young girls. Studies mostly describe the differences between scoliotic and non-scoliotic girls and focus primarily on a single set of parameters derived from spinal and pelvis morphology, posture or standing imbalance. No study addressed all these three biomechanical aspects simultaneously in pre-braced AIS girls of different scoliosis severity but with similar curve type and their interaction with scoliosis progression. The first objective of this study was to test if there are differences in these parameters between pre-braced AIS girls with a right thoracic scoliosis of moderate (less than 27° and severe (more than 27° deformity. The second objective was to identify which of these parameters are related to the Cobb angle progression either individually or in combination of thereof. Forty-five scoliotic girls, randomly selected by an orthopedic surgeon from the hospital scoliosis clinic, participated in this study. Parameters related to pelvis morphology, pelvis orientation, trunk posture and quiet standing balance were measured. Generally moderate pre-brace idiopathic scoliosis patients displayed lower values than the severe group characterized by a Cobb angle greater than 27°. Only pelvis morphology and trunk posture were statistically different between the groups while pelvis orientation and standing imbalance were similar in both groups. Statistically significant Pearson coefficients of correlation between individual parameters and Cobb angle ranged between 0.32 and 0.53. Collectively trunk posture, pelvis morphology and standing balance parameters are correlated with Cobb angle at 0.82. The results suggest that spinal deformity progression is not only a question of trunk morphology distortion by itself but is also related to pelvis asymmetrical bone growth and standing neuromuscular imbalance.

  6. Control of vertical posture while standing on a sliding board and pushing an object.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Yun-Ju; Chen, Bing; Liang, Jing-Nong; Aruin, Alexander S

    2018-03-01

    Voluntary pushing or translation perturbation of the support surface each induces a body perturbation that affects postural control. The objective of the study was to investigate anticipatory (APA) and compensatory (CPA) postural adjustments when pushing an object (that induces self-initiated perturbation) and standing on a sliding board (that induces translational perturbation). Thirteen healthy young participants were instructed to push a handle with both hands while standing on a sliding board that was either free to move in the anterior-posterior direction or stationary. Electromyographic activity (EMG) of trunk and lower extremity muscles, center of pressure (COP) displacements, and the forces exerted by the hand were recorded and analyzed during the APA and CPA phases. When the sliding board was free to move during pushing (translation perturbation), onsets of activity of ventral leg muscles and COP displacement were delayed as compared to pushing when standing on a stationary board. Moreover, magnitudes of shank muscle activity and the COP displacement were decreased. When pushing heavier weight, magnitudes of muscle activity, COP displacement, and pushing force increased. The magnitude of activity of the shank muscles during the APA and CPA phases in conditions with translational perturbation varied with the magnitude of the pushing weight. The outcome of the study suggests that the central nervous system prioritizes the pushing task while attenuates the source of additional perturbation induced by translation perturbation. These results could be used in the development of balance re-training paradigms involving pushing weight while standing on a sliding surface.

  7. Take a stand on your decisions, or take a sit: posture does not affect risk preferences in an economic task

    OpenAIRE

    O’Brien, Megan K.; Ahmed, Alaa A.

    2014-01-01

    Physiological and emotional states can affect our decision-making processes, even when these states are seemingly insignificant to the decision at hand. We examined whether posture and postural threat affect decisions in a non-related economic domain. Healthy young adults made a series of choices between economic lotteries in various conditions, including changes in body posture (sitting vs. standing) and changes in elevation (ground level vs. atop a 0.8-meter-high platform). We compared thre...

  8. Comparison of standing postural control and gait parameters in people with and without chronic low back pain: a cross-sectional case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacRae, Catharine Siân; Critchley, Duncan; Lewis, Jeremy S; Shortland, Adam

    2018-01-01

    Differences in postural control and gait have been identified between people with and without chronic low back pain (CLBP); however, many previous studies present data from small samples, or have used methodologies with questionable reliability. This study, employing robust methodology, hypothesised that there would be a difference in postural control, and spatiotemporal parameters of gait in people with CLBP compared with asymptomatic individuals. This cross-sectional case-control study age-matched and gender-matched 16 CLBP and 16 asymptomatic participants. Participants were assessed barefoot (1) standing, over three 40 s trials, under four posture challenging conditions (2) during gait. Primary outcome was postural stability (assessed by root mean squared error of centre of pressure (CoP) displacement (CoP RMSEAP ) and mean CoP velocity (CoP VELAP ), both in the anteroposterior direction); gait outcomes were hip range of movement and peak moments, walking speed, cadence and stride length, assessed using force plates and a motion analysis system. There were no differences between groups in CoP RMSEAP (P=0.26), or CoP VELAP (P=0.60) for any standing condition. During gait, no differences were observed between groups for spatiotemporal parameters, maximum, minimum and total ranges of hip movement, or peak hip flexor or extensor moments in the sagittal plane. In contrast to previous research, this study suggests that people with mild to moderate CLBP present with similar standing postural control, and parameters of gait to asymptomatic individuals. Treatments directed at influencing postural stability (eg, standing on a wobble board) or specific parameters of gait may be an unnecessary addition to a treatment programme.

  9. Effect of sacroiliac manipulation on postural sway in quiet standing: a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farazdaghi, Mohammad Reza; Motealleh, Alireza; Abtahi, Forough; Panjan, Andrej; Šarabon, Nejc; Ghaffarinejad, Farahnaz

    Sacroiliac joint manipulation can alter joint and muscle control mechanisms through local and remote effects. Postural balance is controlled by supraspinal (rambling) and spinal-peripheral (trembling) mechanisms. A manipulation may interfere with postural control in quiet standing. To evaluate the immediate effects of sacroiliac joint manipulation on postural control in patients with (1) sacroiliac dysfunction and (2) to determine whether rambling and trembling are affected by sacroiliac joint manipulation. 32 patients aged between 20 and 50 years old were selected by convenience after confirmation of sacroiliac joint dysfunction by clinical examination. These patients were randomly allocated either to manipulation or sham manipulation group. Displacement, velocity and frequency of the center of pressure, rambling and trembling in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions were our primary outcomes and analyzed immediately before and after the intervention in quiet standing. The physical therapists who performed the physical, biomechanical and statistical examinations, were all blinded to the patients' grouping. No differences were found between the two groups but trembling velocity (0.14 and -0.11 for intervention and sham group, respectively) and frequency (0.17 and 0.11 for intervention and sham group respectively) increased after intervention in the treatment group in the anterior-posterior direction. Generally, sacroiliac joint manipulation had no superiority than sham treatment regarding postural control as measured by rambling-trembling analysis of center of pressure. Manipulation may increase muscle activation in the treatment group due to increased trembling parameters. Trial number: IRCT2014072715932N8 - http://www.irct.ir/searchresult.php?keyword=%D8%B3%D9%88%DB%8C%D9%87&id=15932&field=&number=8&prt=13&total=10&m=1. Copyright © 2017 Associação Brasileira de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação em Fisioterapia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All

  10. Is the size of the useful field of view affected by postural demands associated with standing and stepping?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed-Jones, James G; Reed-Jones, Rebecca J; Hollands, Mark A

    2014-04-30

    The useful field of view (UFOV) is the visual area from which information is obtained at a brief glance. While studies have examined the effects of increased cognitive load on the visual field, no one has specifically looked at the effects of postural control or locomotor activity on the UFOV. The current study aimed to examine the effects of postural demand and locomotor activity on UFOV performance in healthy young adults. Eleven participants were tested on three modified UFOV tasks (central processing, peripheral processing, and divided-attention) while seated, standing, and stepping in place. Across all postural conditions, participants showed no difference in their central or peripheral processing. However, in the divided-attention task (reporting the letter in central vision and target location in peripheral vision amongst distracter items) a main effect of posture condition on peripheral target accuracy was found for targets at 57° of eccentricity (p=.037). The mean accuracy reduced from 80.5% (standing) to 74% (seated) to 56.3% (stepping). These findings show that postural demands do affect UFOV divided-attention performance. In particular, the size of the useful field of view significantly decreases when stepping. This finding has important implications for how the results of a UFOV test are used to evaluate the general size of the UFOV during varying activities, as the traditional seated test procedure may overestimate the size of the UFOV during locomotor activities. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Modeling cerebral blood flow during posture change from sitting to standing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ottesen, Johnny T.; Olufsen, M.; Tran, H.T.

    2004-01-01

    extremities, the brain, and the heart. We use physiologically based control mechanisms to describe the regulation of cerebral blood flow velocity and arterial pressure in response to orthostatic hypotension resulting from postural change. To justify the fidelity of our mathematical model and control......Abstract Hypertension, decreased cerebral blood flow, and diminished cerebral blood flow velocity regulation, are among the first signs indicating the presence of cerebral vascular disease. In this paper, we will present a mathematical model that can predict blood flow and pressure during posture...

  12. Mechanisms of postural control in alcoholic men and women: biomechanical analysis of musculoskeletal coordination during quiet standing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sullivan, Edith V; Rose, Jessica; Pfefferbaum, Adolf

    2010-03-01

    Excessive sway during quiet standing is a common sequela of chronic alcoholism even with prolonged sobriety. Whether alcoholic men and women who have remained abstinent from alcohol for weeks to months differ from each other in the degree of residual postural instability and biomechanical control mechanisms has not been directly tested. We used a force platform to characterize center-of-pressure biomechanical features of postural sway, with and without stabilizing conditions from touch, vision, and stance, in 34 alcoholic men, 15 alcoholic women, 22 control men, and 29 control women. Groups were matched in age (49.4 years), general intelligence, socioeconomic status, and handedness. Each alcoholic group was sober for an average of 75 days. Analysis of postural sway when using all 3 stabilizing conditions versus none revealed diagnosis and sex differences in ability to balance. Alcoholics had significantly longer sway paths, especially in the anterior-posterior direction, than controls when maintaining erect posture without balance aids. With stabilizing conditions the sway paths of all groups shortened significantly, especially those of alcoholic men, who demonstrated a 3.1-fold improvement in sway path difference between the easiest and most challenging conditions; the remaining 3 groups, each showed a approximately 2.4-fold improvement. Application of a mechanical model to partition sway paths into open-loop and closed-loop postural control systems revealed that the sway paths of the alcoholic men but not alcoholic women were characterized by greater short-term (open-loop) diffusion coefficients without aids, often associated with muscle stiffening response. With stabilizing factors, all 4 groups showed similar long-term (closed loop) postural control. Correlations between cognitive abilities and closed-loop sway indices were more robust in alcoholic men than alcoholic women. Reduction in sway and closed-loop activity during quiet standing with stabilizing

  13. Standing economy: does the heterogeneity in the energy cost of posture maintenance reside in differential patterns of spontaneous weight-shifting?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miles-Chan, Jennifer L; Fares, Elie-Jacques; Berkachy, Redina; Jacquet, Philippe; Isacco, Laurie; Schutz, Yves; Montani, Jean-Pierre; Dulloo, Abdul G

    2017-04-01

    Due to sedentarity-associated disease risks, there is much interest in methods to increase low-intensity physical activity. In this context, it is widely assumed that altering posture allocation can modify energy expenditure (EE) to impact body-weight regulation and health. However, we have recently shown the existence of two distinct phenotypes pertaining to the energy cost of standing-with most individuals having no sustained increase in EE during steady-state standing relative to sitting comfortably. Here, we investigated whether these distinct phenotypes are related to the presence/absence of spontaneous "weight-shifting", i.e. the redistribution of body-weight from one foot to the other. Using indirect calorimetry to measure EE in young adults during sitting and 10 min of steady-state standing, we examined: (i) heterogeneity in EE during standing (n = 36); (ii) EE and spontaneous weight-shifting patterns (n = 18); (iii) EE during spontaneous weight-shifting versus experimentally induced weight-shifting (n = 7), and; (iv) EE during spontaneous weight-shifting versus intermittent leg/body displacement (n = 6). Despite heterogeneity in EE response to steady-state standing, no differences were found in the amount or pattern of spontaneous weight-shifting between the two phenotypes. Whilst experimentally induced weight-shifting resulted in a mean EE increase of only 11% (range: 0-25%), intermittent leg/body displacement increased EE to >1.5 METs in all participants. Although the variability in spontaneous weight-shifting signatures between individuals does not appear to underlie heterogeneity in the energy cost of standing posture maintenance, these studies underscore the fact that leg/body displacement, rather than standing posture alone, is needed to increase EE above the currently defined sedentary threshold.

  14. Study of the human postural control system during quiet standing using detrended fluctuation analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teresa Blázquez, M.; Anguiano, Marta; de Saavedra, Fernando Arias; Lallena, Antonio M.; Carpena, Pedro

    2009-05-01

    The detrended fluctuation analysis is used to study the behavior of different time series obtained from the trajectory of the center of pressure, the output of the activity of the human postural control system. The results suggest that these trajectories present two different regimes in their scaling properties: persistent (for high frequencies, short-range time scale) to antipersistent (for low frequencies, long-range time scale) behaviors. The similitude between the results obtained for the measurements, done with both eyes open and eyes closed, indicate either that the visual system may be disregarded by the postural control system while maintaining the quiet standing, or that the control mechanisms associated with each type of information (visual, vestibular and somatosensory) cannot be disentangled with the type of analysis performed here.

  15. Effects of fatiguing isometric and isokinetic ankle exercises on postural control while standing on firm and compliant surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bisson, Etienne J; Remaud, Anthony; Boyas, Sébastien; Lajoie, Yves; Bilodeau, Martin

    2012-06-14

    Fatiguing exercises used across studies to induce alterations in postural control are diverse and may explain the different findings reported. This study aimed to compare the effects of two types of fatiguing plantarflexion exercises on postural control on a firm and a compliant surface. Ten healthy young men (29 ± 4 years) were asked to stand as steadily as possible for 30 s, blindfolded with feet together, on a firm and a compliant surface before and immediately after an isometric and an isokinetic fatiguing exercise. Maximal force reduction due to fatigue was found significant but similar between exercises. No significant difference was found between the fatiguing exercises on all Center of Pressure (CoP) parameters. Both fatiguing exercises induced increases in CoP excursion area, CoP variability and CoP velocity in both planes (antero-posterior, mediolateral) on the compliant surface. On the firm surface, both fatiguing exercises only induced increases in CoP variability and CoP velocity in the fatigued plane (antero-posterior). Isometric and isokinetic fatiguing exercises, when producing a similar level of force reduction, induce similar decreases in postural control. The effects of fatigue on postural control in healthy young men are more pronounced when standing on a compliant surface, i.e. when proprioceptive information at the ankle is altered.

  16. Take a stand on your decisions, or take a sit: posture does not affect risk preferences in an economic task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Brien, Megan K; Ahmed, Alaa A

    2014-01-01

    Physiological and emotional states can affect our decision-making processes, even when these states are seemingly insignificant to the decision at hand. We examined whether posture and postural threat affect decisions in a non-related economic domain. Healthy young adults made a series of choices between economic lotteries in various conditions, including changes in body posture (sitting vs. standing) and changes in elevation (ground level vs. atop a 0.8-meter-high platform). We compared three metrics between conditions to assess changes in risk-sensitivity: frequency of risky choices, and parameter fits of both utility and probability weighting parameters using cumulative prospect theory. We also measured skin conductance level to evaluate physiological response to the postural threat. Our results demonstrate that body posture does not significantly affect decision making. Secondly, despite increased skin conductance level, economic risk-sensitivity was unaffected by increased threat. Our findings indicate that economic choices are fairly robust to the physiological and emotional changes that result from posture or postural threat.

  17. Variations in rest vertical dimension: effects of standing posture in edentulous patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makzoume, Joseph E

    2007-01-01

    The orientation of a patient's head changes, depending on whether he or she is sitting or standing in a relaxed upright position. An edentulous patient's vertical dimension at rest may show variations that can result in an inaccurate determination of his or her occlusal vertical dimension. This study recorded the rest vertical dimension (RVD) established among 60 totally edentulous subjects who were standing in the position of greatest comfort (self-balance position) and compared it with the patients' RVD when they were seated in a relaxed upright position, with the Frankfort Plane parallel to the horizontal. The RVD was measured (in mm) between two dots located on the midline of the face. Two measurements were made: one when the patient was seated upright and relaxed (with the Frankfort Plane parallel to the horizontal) with no head support, and the other when the patient was standing relaxed on both feet in a self-balance position. Five alternated measurements were made for each subject in each position. A mean RVD was calculated for each subject in each body posture and the mean values from both positions were compared. Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test (alpha = 0.05). No significant differences were noted between the RVD of the seated and standing positions (P = 0.67).

  18. Human Posture and Movement Prediction based on Musculoskeletal Modeling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Farahani, Saeed Davoudabadi

    2014-01-01

    Abstract This thesis explores an optimization-based formulation, so-called inverse-inverse dynamics, for the prediction of human posture and motion dynamics performing various tasks. It is explained how this technique enables us to predict natural kinematic and kinetic patterns for human posture...... and motion using AnyBody Modeling System (AMS). AMS uses inverse dynamics to analyze musculoskeletal systems and is, therefore, limited by its dependency on input kinematics. We propose to alleviate this dependency by assuming that voluntary postures and movement strategies in humans are guided by a desire...... expenditure, joint forces and other physiological properties derived from the detailed musculoskeletal analysis. Several attempts have been made to uncover the principles underlying motion control strategies in the literature. In case of some movements, like human squat jumping, there is almost no doubt...

  19. Take a stand on your decisions, or take a sit: posture does not affect risk preferences in an economic task

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Megan K. O’Brien

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Physiological and emotional states can affect our decision-making processes, even when these states are seemingly insignificant to the decision at hand. We examined whether posture and postural threat affect decisions in a non-related economic domain. Healthy young adults made a series of choices between economic lotteries in various conditions, including changes in body posture (sitting vs. standing and changes in elevation (ground level vs. atop a 0.8-meter-high platform. We compared three metrics between conditions to assess changes in risk-sensitivity: frequency of risky choices, and parameter fits of both utility and probability weighting parameters using cumulative prospect theory. We also measured skin conductance level to evaluate physiological response to the postural threat. Our results demonstrate that body posture does not significantly affect decision making. Secondly, despite increased skin conductance level, economic risk-sensitivity was unaffected by increased threat. Our findings indicate that economic choices are fairly robust to the physiological and emotional changes that result from posture or postural threat.

  20. Effects of disease severity and medication state on postural control asymmetry during challenging postural tasks in individuals with Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbieri, Fabio A; Polastri, Paula F; Baptista, André M; Lirani-Silva, Ellen; Simieli, Lucas; Orcioli-Silva, Diego; Beretta, Victor S; Gobbi, Lilian T B

    2016-04-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of disease severity and medication state on postural control asymmetry during challenging tasks in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Nineteen people with PD and 11 neurologically healthy individuals performed three standing task conditions: bipedal standing, tandem and unipedal adapted standing; the individuals with PD performed the tasks in ON and OFF medication state. The participants with PD were distributed into 2 groups according to disease severity: unilateral group (n=8) and bilateral group (n=11). The two PD groups performed the evaluations both under and without the medication. Two force plates were used to analyze the posture. The symmetric index was calculated for various of center of pressure. ANOVA one-way (groups) and two-way (PD groups×medication), with repeated measures for medication, were calculated. For main effects of group, the bilateral group was more asymmetric than CG. For main effects of medication, only unipedal adapted standing presented effects of PD medication. There was PD groups×medication interaction. Under the effects of medication, the unilateral group presented lower asymmetry of RMS in anterior-posterior direction and area than the bilateral group in unipedal adapted standing. In addition, the unilateral group presented lower asymmetry of mean velocity, RMS in anterior-posterior direction and area in unipedal standing and area in tandem adapted standing after a medication dose. Postural control asymmetry during challenging postural tasks was dependent on disease severity and medication state in people with PD. The bilateral group presented higher postural control asymmetry than the control and unilateral groups in challenging postural tasks. Finally, the medication dose was able to reduce postural control asymmetry in the unilateral group during challenging postural tasks. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Detecting altered postural control after cerebral concussion in athletes with normal postural stability

    OpenAIRE

    Cavanaugh, J; Guskiewicz, K; Giuliani, C; Marshall, S; Mercer, V; Stergiou, N

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To determine if approximate entropy (ApEn), a regularity statistic from non-linear dynamics, could detect changes in postural control during quiet standing in athletes with normal postural stability after cerebral concussion.

  2. Role of the Frontal Cortex in Standing Postural Sway Tasks While Dual-Tasking: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study Examining Working Memory Capacity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiroyuki Fujita

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Posture control during a dual-task involves changing the distribution of attention resources between the cognitive and motor tasks and involves the frontal cortex working memory (WM. The present study aimed to better understand the impact of frontal lobe activity and WM capacity in postural control during a dual-task. High and low WM-span groups were compared using their reading span test scores. High and low WM capacity were compared based on cognitive and balance performance and hemoglobin oxygenation (oxyHb levels during standing during single (S-S, standing during dual (S-D, one leg standing during single (O-S, and one leg standing during dual (O-D tasks. For sway pass length, significant difference in only the O-D task was observed between both groups. oxyHb levels were markedly increased in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and supplementary motor area in the high-span group during a dual-task. Therefore, WM capacity influenced the allocation of attentional resources and motor performance.

  3. A standing posture is associated with increased susceptibility to the sound-induced flash illusion in fall-prone older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stapleton, John; Setti, Annalisa; Doheny, Emer P; Kenny, Rose Anne; Newell, Fiona N

    2014-02-01

    Recent research has provided evidence suggesting a link between inefficient processing of multisensory information and incidence of falling in older adults. Specifically, Setti et al. (Exp Brain Res 209:375-384, 2011) reported that older adults with a history of falling were more susceptible than their healthy, age-matched counterparts to the sound-induced flash illusion. Here, we investigated whether balance control in fall-prone older adults was directly associated with multisensory integration by testing susceptibility to the illusion under two postural conditions: sitting and standing. Whilst standing, fall-prone older adults had a greater body sway than the age-matched healthy older adults and their body sway increased when presented with the audio-visual illusory but not the audio-visual congruent conditions. We also found an increase in susceptibility to the sound-induced flash illusion during standing relative to sitting for fall-prone older adults only. Importantly, no performance differences were found across groups in either the unisensory or non-illusory multisensory conditions across the two postures. These results suggest an important link between multisensory integration and balance control in older adults and have important implications for understanding why some older adults are prone to falling.

  4. Comparison of conversion coefficients for equivalent dose in terms of air kerma for photons using a male adult voxel simulator in sitting and standing posture with geometry of irradiation antero-posterior

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galeano, D.C.; Cavalcante, F.R.; Carvalho, A.B.; Hunt, J.

    2014-01-01

    The dose conversion coefficient (DCC) is important to quantify and assess effective doses associated with medical, professional and public exposures. The calculation of DCCs using anthropomorphic simulators and radiation transport codes is justified since in-vivo measurement of effective dose is extremely difficult and not practical for occupational dosimetry. DCCs have been published by the ICRP using simulators in a standing posture, which is not always applicable to all exposure scenarios, providing an inaccurate dose estimation. The aim of this work was to calculate DCCs for equivalent dose in terms of air kerma (H/Kair) using the Visual Monte Carlo (VMC) code and the VOXTISS8 adult male voxel simulator in sitting and standing postures. In both postures, the simulator was irradiated by a plane source of monoenergetic photons in antero-posterior (AP) geometry. The photon energy ranged from 15 keV to 2 MeV. The DCCs for both postures were compared and the DCCs for the standing simulator were higher. For certain organs, the difference of DCCs were more significant, as in gonads (48% higher), bladder (16% higher) and colon (11% higher). As these organs are positioned in the abdominal region, the posture of the anthropomorphic simulator modifies the form in which the radiation is transported and how the energy is deposited. It was also noted that the average percentage difference of conversion coefficients was 33% for the bone marrow, 11% for the skin, 13% for the bone surface and 31% for the muscle. For other organs, the percentage difference of the DCCs for both postures was not relevant (less than 5%) due to no anatomical changes in the organs of the head, chest and upper abdomen. We can conclude that is important to obtain DCCs using different postures from those present in the scientific literature. - Highlights: • Scenarios of external photon exposures were performed in VMC code. • The VOXTISS8 simulator was irradiated in standing and sitting postures.

  5. Hand Posture Prediction Using Neural Networks within a Biomechanical Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marta C. Mora

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs in the framework of a biomechanical hand model for grasping. ANNs enhance the model capabilities as they substitute estimated data for the experimental inputs required by the grasping algorithm used. These inputs are the tentative grasping posture and the most open posture during grasping. As a consequence, more realistic grasping postures are predicted by the grasping algorithm, along with the contact information required by the dynamic biomechanical model (contact points and normals. Several neural network architectures are tested and compared in terms of prediction errors, leading to encouraging results. The performance of the overall proposal is also shown through simulation, where a grasping experiment is replicated and compared to the real grasping data collected by a data glove device.

  6. Do older adults perceive postural constraints for reach estimation?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cordova, Alberto; Gabbard, Carl

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: Recent evidence indicates that older persons have difficulty mentally representing intended movements. Furthermore, in an estimation of reach paradigm using motor imagery, a form of mental representation, older persons significantly overestimated their ability compared with young adults. The authors tested the notion that older adults may also have difficulty perceiving the postural constraints associated with reach estimation. The authors compared young (Mage = 22 years) and older (Mage = 67) adults on reach estimation while seated and in a more postural demanding standing and leaning forward position. The expectation was a significant postural effect with the standing condition, as evidenced by reduced overestimation. Whereas there was no difference between groups in the seated condition (both overestimated), older adults underestimated whereas the younger group once again overestimated in the standing condition. From one perspective, these results show that older adults do perceive postural constraints in light of their own physical capabilities. That is, that group perceived greater postural demands with the standing posture and elected to program a more conservative strategy, resulting in underestimation.

  7. Point-of-care-testing of standing posture with Wii balance board and Microsoft Kinect during transcranial direct current stimulation: a feasibility study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutta, Arindam; Chugh, Sanjay; Banerjee, Alakananda; Dutta, Anirban

    2014-01-01

    Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is a promising tool for facilitating motor function. NIBS therapy in conjunction with training using postural feedback may facilitate physical rehabilitation following posture disorders (e.g., Pusher Syndrome). The objectives of this study were, 1) to develop a low-cost point-of-care-testing (POCT) system for standing posture, 2) to investigate the effects of anodal tDCS on functional reach tasks using the POCT system. Ten community-dwelling elderly (age >50 years) subjects evaluated the POCT system for standing posture during functional reach tasks where their balance score on Berg Balance Scale was compared with that from Center-of-Mass (CoM) - Center-of-Pressure (CoP) posturography. Then, in a single-blind, sham-controlled study, five healthy right-leg dominant subjects (age: 26.4 ± 5.3 yrs) were evaluated using the POCT system under two conditions - with anodal tDCS of primary motor representations of right tibialis anterior muscle and with sham tDCS. The maximum CoP-CoM lean-angle was found to be well correlated with the BBS score in the elderly subjects The anodal tDCS strongly (p = 0.0000) affected the maximum CoP excursions but not the return reaction time in healthy. It was concluded that the CoM-CoP lean-line could be used for posture feedback and monitoring during tDCS therapy in conjunction with balance training exercises.

  8. Postural control during sit-to-stand movement and its relationship with upright position in children with hemiplegic spastic cerebral palsy and in typically developing children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pavão, Silvia L; Santos, Adriana N; Oliveira, Ana B; Rocha, Nelci A C F

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare postural control in typically developing (TD) children and children with cerebral palsy (CP) during the sit-to-stand (STS) movement and to assess the relationship between static (during static standing position) and dynamic postural control (during STS movement) in both groups. The center of pressure (CoP) behavior of 23 TD children and 6 children with spastic hemiplegic CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System [GMFCS] I and II) was assessed during STS movement performance and during static standing conditions with the use of a force plate. The data obtained from the force plate were used to calculate CoP variables: anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) amplitudes of CoP displacement and the area and velocity of CoP oscillation. According to the Mann-Whitney test, children with CP exhibited higher CoP values in all of the analyzed variables during the beginning of STS movement. Pearson's correlation verified a positive correlation between the CoP variables during both static conditions and the performance of STS movement. Children with spastic hemiplegic CP present major postural oscillations during the beginning of STS movement compared with typical children. Moreover, the observed relationship between postural control in static and dynamic conditions reveals the importance of body control in the static position for the performance of functional activities that put the body in motion, such as STS movement.

  9. Reliability and Validity Measurement of Sagittal Lumbosacral Quiet Standing Posture with a Smartphone Application in a Mixed Population of 183 College Students and Personnel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    George A. Koumantakis

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Accurate recording of spinal posture with simple and accessible measurement devices in clinical practice may lead to spinal loading optimization in occupations related to prolonged sitting and standing postures. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish the level of reliability of sagittal lumbosacral posture in quiet standing and the validity of the method in differentiating between male and female subjects, establishing in parallel a normative database. 183 participants (83 males and 100 females, with no current low back or pelvic pain, were assessed using the “iHandy Level” smartphone application. Intrarater reliability (3 same-day sequential measurements was high for both the lumbar curve (ICC2,1: 0.96, SEM: 2.13°, and MDC95%: 5.9° and the sacral slope (ICC2,1: 0.97, SEM: 1.61°, and MDC95%: 4.46° sagittal alignment. Data analysis for each gender separately confirmed equally high reliability for both male and female participants. Correlation between lumbar curve and sacral slope was high (Pearson’s r=0.86, p<0.001. Between-gender comparisons confirmed the validity of the method to differentiate between male and female lumbar curve and sacral slope angles, with females generally demonstrating greater lumbosacral values (p<0.001. The “iHandy Level” application is a reliable and valid tool in the measurement of lumbosacral quiet standing spinal posture in the sagittal plane.

  10. Postural orientation and equilibrium processes associated with increased postural sway in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zheng; Hallac, Rami R; Conroy, Kaitlin C; White, Stormi P; Kane, Alex A; Collinsworth, Amy L; Sweeney, John A; Mosconi, Matthew W

    2016-01-01

    Increased postural sway has been repeatedly documented in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Characterizing the control processes underlying this deficit, including postural orientation and equilibrium, may provide key insights into neurophysiological mechanisms associated with ASD. Postural orientation refers to children's ability to actively align their trunk and head with respect to their base of support, while postural equilibrium is an active process whereby children coordinate ankle dorsi-/plantar-flexion and hip abduction/adduction movements to stabilize their upper body. Dynamic engagement of each of these control processes is important for maintaining postural stability, though neither postural orientation nor equilibrium has been studied in ASD. Twenty-two children with ASD and 21 age and performance IQ-matched typically developing (TD) controls completed three standing tests. During static stance, participants were instructed to stand as still as possible. During dynamic stances, participants swayed at a comfortable speed and magnitude in either anterior-posterior (AP) or mediolateral (ML) directions. The center of pressure (COP) standard deviation and trajectory length were examined to determine if children with ASD showed increased postural sway. Postural orientation was assessed using a novel virtual time-to-contact (VTC) approach that characterized spatiotemporal dimensions of children's postural sway (i.e., body alignment) relative to their postural limitation boundary, defined as the maximum extent to which each child could sway in each direction. Postural equilibrium was quantified by evaluating the amount of shared or mutual information of COP time series measured along the AP and ML directions. Consistent with prior studies, children with ASD showed increased postural sway during both static and dynamic stances relative to TD children. In regard to postural orientation processes, children with ASD demonstrated reduced spatial

  11. A longitudinal assessment of myoelectric activity, postural sway, and low-back pain during pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreira, Luciana S; Elias, Leonardo A; Gomide, Adriane B; Vieira, Marcus F; DO Amaral, Waldemar N

    2017-01-01

    The present study aimed at investigating the control of upright quiet standing in pregnant women throughout pregnancy, and whether low-back pain exerts influence on this motor task. Myoelectric signals from postural muscles and stabilometric data were collected from 15 non-pregnant and 15 pregnant women during upright quiet standing. Electromyogram envelopes and center of pressure metrics were evaluated in the control group, as well as in pregnant women in their first and third trimester of pregnancy. A correlation analysis was performed between the measured variables and a low-back pain disability index. Pregnant women exhibited a decreased maximum voluntary isometric activity for all postural muscles evaluated. Additionally, the activity of lumbar muscles during the postural task was significantly higher in the pregnant women in comparison to the non-pregnant controls. The soleus muscle maintained its activity at the same level as the gestation progressed. Higher postural oscillations were observed in the anteroposterior direction while mediolateral sway was reduced in the third trimester of pregnancy. No correlation was detected between the lowback pain disability index and neuromechanical variables. This study provides additional data regarding the functioning and adaptations of the postural control system during pregnancy. Also, we provide further evidence that postural control during quiet standing cannot be used to predict the occurrence of low-back pain. We hypothesize that the modifications in the neural drive to the muscles, as well as in postural sway may be related to changes in the biomechanics and hormonal levels experienced by the pregnant women.

  12. Cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation improves adaptive postural control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poortvliet, Peter; Hsieh, Billie; Cresswell, Andrew; Au, Jacky; Meinzer, Marcus

    2018-01-01

    Rehabilitation interventions contribute to recovery of impaired postural control, but it remains a priority to optimize their effectiveness. A promising strategy may involve transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of brain areas involved in fine-tuning of motor adaptation. This study explored the effects of cerebellar tDCS (ctDCS) on postural recovery from disturbance by Achilles tendon vibration. Twenty-eight healthy volunteers participated in this sham-ctDCS controlled study. Standing blindfolded on a force platform, four trials were completed: 60 s quiet standing followed by 20 min active (anodal-tDCS, 1 mA, 20 min, N = 14) or sham-ctDCS (40 s, N = 14) tDCS; three quiet standing trials with 15 s of Achilles tendon vibration and 25 s of postural recovery. Postural steadiness was quantified as displacement, standard deviation and path derived from the center of pressure (COP). Baseline demographics and quiet standing postural steadiness, and backwards displacement during vibration were comparable between groups. However, active-tDCS significantly improved postural steadiness during vibration and reduced forward displacement and variability in COP derivatives during recovery. We demonstrate that ctDCS results in short-term improvement of postural adaptation in healthy individuals. Future studies need to investigate if multisession ctDCS combined with training or rehabilitation interventions can induce prolonged improvement of postural balance. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Standing postural reaction to visual and proprioceptive stimulation in chronic acquired demyelinating polyneuropathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Provost, Clement P; Tasseel-Ponche, Sophie; Lozeron, Pierre; Piccinini, Giulia; Quintaine, Victorine; Arnulf, Bertrand; Kubis, Nathalie; Yelnik, Alain P

    2018-02-28

    To investigate the weight of visual and proprioceptive inputs, measured indirectly in standing position control, in patients with chronic acquired demyelinating polyneuropathy (CADP). Prospective case study. Twenty-five patients with CADP and 25 healthy controls. Posture was recorded on a double force platform. Stimulations were optokinetic (60°/s) for visual input and vibration (50 Hz) for proprioceptive input. Visual stimulation involved 4 tests (upward, downward, rightward and leftward) and proprioceptive stimulation 2 tests (triceps surae and tibialis anterior). A composite score, previously published and slightly modified, was used for the recorded postural signals from the different stimulations. Despite their sensitivity deficits, patients with CADP were more sensitive to proprioceptive stimuli than were healthy controls (mean composite score 13.9 ((standard deviation; SD) 4.8) vs 18.4 (SD 4.8), p = 0.002). As expected, they were also more sensitive to visual stimuli (mean composite score 10.5 (SD 8.7) vs 22.9 (SD 7.5), p <0.0001). These results encourage balance rehabilitation of patients with CADP, aimed at promoting the use of proprioceptive information, thereby reducing too-early development of visual compensation while proprioception is still available.

  14. Altered postural control strategies in quiet standing more than 20 years after rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stensdotter, Ann-Katrin; Tengman, Eva; Häger, Charlotte

    2016-05-01

    To explore long-term consequences of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture on postural sway and control strategies during bilateral quiet standing, in subjects treated with or without reconstructive surgery compared to uninjured controls. 70 individuals who had unilateral ACL rupture 23±2.4 years ago (33 received ACL reconstructive surgery, ACLR, and 37 had physiotherapy only, ACLPT) and 33 uninjured matched controls (CTRL) (mean age 46±5.3) stood quietly with eyes closed for 3min on a firm and on a compliant surface, respectively. Center of pressure (CoP) was registered with a force plate and postural sway was calculated from center of mass (CoM) derived from 3D kinematics. Sway density (SD) analyses of CoP assessed distance and duration of stable phases. The torque controlling postural sway was estimated from CoP-CoM. Comparisons across conditions to CTRL revealed larger CoP-CoM-area in ACLR (p=0.017, CI: 10.95, 143.10), but not in ACLPT. Mean distance between SD-peaks was greater for ACLR (ppostural control efforts than CTRL but without significant differences in postural sway. Control efforts were thus not directly associated with sway and further research should be focused on variance in postural control strategies. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  15. Postural control during sit-to-stand movement and its relationship with upright position in children with hemiplegic spastic cerebral palsy and in typically developing children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia L. Pavão

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare postural control in typically developing (TD children and children with cerebral palsy (CP during the sit-to-stand (STS movement and to assess the relationship between static (during static standing position and dynamic postural control (during STS movement in both groups. METHOD: The center of pressure (CoP behavior of 23 TD children and 6 children with spastic hemiplegic CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System [GMFCS] I and II was assessed during STS movement performance and during static standing conditions with the use of a force plate. The data obtained from the force plate were used to calculate CoP variables: anteroposterior (AP and mediolateral (ML amplitudes of CoP displacement and the area and velocity of CoP oscillation. RESULTS: According to the Mann-Whitney test, children with CP exhibited higher CoP values in all of the analyzed variables during the beginning of STS movement. Pearson's correlation verified a positive correlation between the CoP variables during both static conditions and the performance of STS movement. CONCLUSIONS: Children with spastic hemiplegic CP present major postural oscillations during the beginning of STS movement compared with typical children. Moreover, the observed relationship between postural control in static and dynamic conditions reveals the importance of body control in the static position for the performance of functional activities that put the body in motion, such as STS movement.

  16. Modeling Cerebral Blood Flow Control During Posture Change from Sitting to Standing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olufsen, Mette; Tran, Hien; Ottesen, Johnny T.

    2004-01-01

    , the heart, and venous valves. We use physiologically based control mechanisms to describe the regulation of cerebral blood velocity and arterial pressure in response to orthostatic hypotension resulting from postural change. Beyond active control mechanisms we also have to include certain passive non......Hypertension, decreased cerebral blood flow, and diminished cerebral blood flow regulation, are among the first signs indicating the presence of cerebral vascular disease. In this paper, we will present a mathematical model that can predict blood flow and pressure during posture change from sitting......-linearities in some of the compliance-pressure and resistance-pressure relationships. Futhermore, an acurate and physiologically based submodel, describing the dynamics of how gravity effects the blood distribution during suspine changes, is included. To justify the fidelity of our mathematical model and control...

  17. Increased alertness, better than posture prioritization, explains dual-task performance in prosthesis users and controls under increasing postural and cognitive challenge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Charla L; Perry, Bonnie; Chow, John W; Wallace, Chris; Stokic, Dobrivoje S

    2017-11-01

    Sensorimotor impairments after limb amputation impose a threat to stability. Commonly described strategies for maintaining stability are the posture first strategy (prioritization of balance) and posture second strategy (prioritization of concurrent tasks). The existence of these strategies was examined in 13 below-knee prosthesis users and 15 controls during dual-task standing under increasing postural and cognitive challenge by evaluating path length, 95% sway area, and anterior-posterior and medial-lateral amplitudes of the center of pressure. The subjects stood on two force platforms under usual (hard surface/eyes open) and difficult (soft surface/eyes closed) conditions, first alone and while performing a cognitive task without and then with instruction on cognitive prioritization. During standing alone, sway was not significantly different between groups. After adding the cognitive task without prioritization instruction, prosthesis users increased sway more under the dual-task than single-task standing (p ≤ 0.028) during both usual and difficult conditions, favoring the posture second strategy. Controls, however, reduced dual-task sway under a greater postural challenge (p ≤ 0.017), suggesting the posture first strategy. With prioritization of the cognitive task, sway was unchanged or reduced in prosthesis users, suggesting departure from the posture second strategy, whereas controls maintained the posture first strategy. Individual analysis of dual tasking revealed that greater postural demand in controls and greater cognitive challenge in prosthesis users led to both reduced sway and improved cognitive performance, suggesting cognitive-motor facilitation. Thus, activation of additional resources through increased alertness, rather than posture prioritization, may explain dual-task performance in both prosthesis users and controls under increasing postural and cognitive challenge.

  18. The influence of age, anxiety and concern about falling on postural sway when standing at an elevated level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sturnieks, Daina L; Delbaere, Kim; Brodie, Matthew A; Lord, Stephen R

    2016-10-01

    Psychological processes may influence balance and contribute to the risk of falls in older people. While a self-reported fear of falling is associated with increased postural sway, inducing fear using an elevated platform can lead to reduced sway, suggesting different underlying mechanisms whereby fear may influence balance control. This study examined changes in postural sway, muscle activity and physiological measures of arousal while standing on a 65cm elevated platform, compared to floor level, in young and older adults. The older adults were classified as fall concerned or not fall concerned based on the Falls Efficacy Scale-International and anxious or not anxious based on the Goldberg Anxiety Scale. Fall concern did not affect the physiological and sway response to the elevated platform. In response to the postural threat, the anxious participants increased their sway frequency (p=0.001) but did not reduce sway range (p=0.674). Conversely, non-anxious participants showed an adaptive tightening of balance control, effectively reducing sway range in the elevated condition (ppostural control strategies under threatening conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Standing postural reaction to visual and proprioceptive stimulation in chronic acquired demyelinating polyneuropathy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clement P. Provost

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To investigate the weight of visual and proprioceptive inputs, measured indirectly in standing position control, in patients with chronic acquired demyelinating polyneuropathy (CADP. Design: Prospective case study. Subjects: Twenty-five patients with CADP and 25 healthy controls. Methods: Posture was recorded on a double force platform. Stimulations were optokinetic (60°/s for visual input and vibration (50 Hz for proprioceptive input. Visual stimulation involved 4 tests (upward, downward, rightward and leftward and proprioceptive stimulation 2 tests (triceps surae and tibialis anterior. A composite score, previously published and slightly modified, was used for the recorded postural signals from the different stimulations. Results: Despite their sensitivity deficits, patients with CADP were more sensitive to proprioceptive stimuli than were healthy controls (mean composite score 13.9 ((standard deviation; SD 4.8 vs 18.4 (SD 4.8, p = 0.002. As expected, they were also more sensitive to visual stimuli (mean composite score 10.5 (SD 8.7 vs 22.9 (SD 7.5, p< 0.0001. Conclusion: These results encourage balance rehabilitation of patients with CADP, aimed at promoting the use of proprioceptive information, thereby reducing too-early development of visual compensation while proprioception is still available.

  20. Neck pain and postural balance among workers with high postural demands - a cross-sectional study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Marie B.; Skotte, Jørgen H.; Holtermann, Andreas

    2011-01-01

    Neck pain is related to impaired postural balance among patients and is highly prevalent among workers with high postural demands, for example, cleaners. We therefore hypothesised, that cleaners with neck pain suffer from postural dysfunction. This cross-sectional study tested if cleaners with neck...... pain have an impaired postural balance compared with cleaners without neck pain. Postural balance of 194 cleaners with (n = 85) and without (N = 109) neck pain was studied using three different tests. Success or failure to maintain the standing position for 30 s in unilateral stance was recorded...... to cleaners without neck/low back pain (p balance, measured as CEA (p

  1. Development of prolonged standing strain index to quantify risk levels of standing jobs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halim, Isa; Omar, Abdul Rahman

    2012-01-01

    Many occupations in industry such as metal stamping workers, electronics parts assembly operators, automotive industry welders, and lathe operators require working in a standing posture for a long time. Prolonged standing can contribute to discomfort and muscle fatigue particularly in the back and legs. This study developed the prolonged standing strain index (PSSI) to quantify the risk levels caused by standing jobs, and proposed recommendations to minimize the risk levels. Risk factors associated with standing jobs, such as working posture, muscles activity, standing duration, holding time, whole-body vibration, and indoor air quality, were the basis for developing the PSSI. All risk factors were assigned multipliers, and the PSSI was the product of those multipliers. Recommendations for improvement are based on the PSSI; however, extensive studies are required to validate their effectiveness. multipliers, and the PSSI was the product of those multipliers. Recommendations for improvement are based on the PSSI; however, extensive studies are required to validate their effectiveness.

  2. Neck pain and postural balance among workers with high postural demands - a cross-sectional study

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background Neck pain is related to impaired postural balance among patients and is highly prevalent among workers with high postural demands, for example, cleaners. We therefore hypothesised, that cleaners with neck pain suffer from postural dysfunction. This cross-sectional study tested if cleaners with neck pain have an impaired postural balance compared with cleaners without neck pain. Methods Postural balance of 194 cleaners with (n = 85) and without (N = 109) neck pain was studied using three different tests. Success or failure to maintain the standing position for 30 s in unilateral stance was recorded. Participants were asked to stand on a force platform for 30 s in the Romberg position with eyes open and closed. The centre of pressure of the sway was calculated, and separated into a slow (rambling) and fast (trembling) component. Subsequently, the 95% confidence ellipse area (CEA) was calculated. Furthermore a perturbation test was performed. Results More cleaners with neck pain (81%) failed the unilateral stance compared with cleaners without neck pain (61%) (p neck pain in comparison with cleaners without neck pain in the Romberg position with eyes closed, but not with eyes open. Conclusions Postural balance is impaired among cleaners with neck pain and the current study suggests a particular role of the slow component of postural sway. Furthermore, the unilateral stance test is a simple test to illustrate functional impairment among cleaners with concurrent neck and low back pain. Trial registration ISRCTN96241850 PMID:21806796

  3. Compromising Postural Balance in the Elderly

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Swanenburg, Jaap; de Bruin, Eling D.; Uebelhart, Daniel; Mulder, Theo

    2009-01-01

    Background: Additional tasks that are assumed to disturb standing postural control can be divided in added motor or added cognitive tasks. It is unknown which type of task causes the most disturbances of postural control in elderly. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether the dual

  4. One- or Two-Legged Standing: What Is the More Suitable Protocol to Assess the Postural Effects of the Rigid Ankle Orthosis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rougier, Patrice; Genthon, Nicolas; Gallois-Montbrun, Thibault; Brugiere, Steve; Bouvat, Eric

    2009-01-01

    To highlight the capacity of one- and two-legged standing protocols when assessing postural behavior induced by a rigid ankle orthosis, 14 healthy individuals stood upright barefoot and wore either an elastic stocking on the preferred leg or a rigid orthosis with or without additional taping in one- or two-legged (TL) conditions. Traditional…

  5. Body posture modulates action perception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimmermann, Marius; Toni, Ivan; de Lange, Floris P

    2013-04-03

    Recent studies have highlighted cognitive and neural similarities between planning and perceiving actions. Given that action planning involves a simulation of potential action plans that depends on the actor's body posture, we reasoned that perceiving actions may also be influenced by one's body posture. Here, we test whether and how this influence occurs by measuring behavioral and cerebral (fMRI) responses in human participants predicting goals of observed actions, while manipulating postural congruency between their own body posture and postures of the observed agents. Behaviorally, predicting action goals is facilitated when the body posture of the observer matches the posture achieved by the observed agent at the end of his action (action's goal posture). Cerebrally, this perceptual postural congruency effect modulates activity in a portion of the left intraparietal sulcus that has previously been shown to be involved in updating neural representations of one's own limb posture during action planning. This intraparietal area showed stronger responses when the goal posture of the observed action did not match the current body posture of the observer. These results add two novel elements to the notion that perceiving actions relies on the same predictive mechanism as planning actions. First, the predictions implemented by this mechanism are based on the current physical configuration of the body. Second, during both action planning and action observation, these predictions pertain to the goal state of the action.

  6. Visual Information and Support Surface for Postural Control in Visual Search Task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Chia-Chun; Yang, Chih-Mei

    2016-10-01

    When standing on a reduced support surface, people increase their reliance on visual information to control posture. This assertion was tested in the current study. The effects of imposed motion and support surface on postural control during visual search were investigated. Twelve participants (aged 21 ± 1.8 years; six men and six women) stood on a reduced support surface (45% base of support). In a room that moved back and forth along the anteroposterior axis, participants performed visual search for a given letter in an article. Postural sway variability and head-room coupling were measured. The results of head-room coupling, but not postural sway, supported the assertion that people increase reliance on visual information when standing on a reduced support surface. Whether standing on a whole or reduced surface, people stabilized their posture to perform the visual search tasks. Compared to a fixed target, searching on a hand-held target showed greater head-room coupling when standing on a reduced surface. © The Author(s) 2016.

  7. The complexity of standing postural control in older adults: a modified detrended fluctuation analysis based upon the empirical mode decomposition algorithm.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junhong Zhou

    Full Text Available Human aging into senescence diminishes the capacity of the postural control system to adapt to the stressors of everyday life. Diminished adaptive capacity may be reflected by a loss of the fractal-like, multiscale complexity within the dynamics of standing postural sway (i.e., center-of-pressure, COP. We therefore studied the relationship between COP complexity and adaptive capacity in 22 older and 22 younger healthy adults. COP magnitude dynamics were assessed from raw data during quiet standing with eyes open and closed, and complexity was quantified with a new technique termed empirical mode decomposition embedded detrended fluctuation analysis (EMD-DFA. Adaptive capacity of the postural control system was assessed with the sharpened Romberg test. As compared to traditional DFA, EMD-DFA more accurately identified trends in COP data with intrinsic scales and produced short and long-term scaling exponents (i.e., α(Short, α(Long with greater reliability. The fractal-like properties of COP fluctuations were time-scale dependent and highly complex (i.e., α(Short values were close to one over relatively short time scales. As compared to younger adults, older adults demonstrated lower short-term COP complexity (i.e., greater α(Short values in both visual conditions (p>0.001. Closing the eyes decreased short-term COP complexity, yet this decrease was greater in older compared to younger adults (p<0.001. In older adults, those with higher short-term COP complexity exhibited better adaptive capacity as quantified by Romberg test performance (r(2 = 0.38, p<0.001. These results indicate that an age-related loss of COP complexity of magnitude series may reflect a clinically important reduction in postural control system functionality as a new biomarker.

  8. Voluntarily controlled but not merely observed visual feedback affects postural sway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asai, Tomohisa; Hiromitsu, Kentaro; Imamizu, Hiroshi

    2018-01-01

    Online stabilization of human standing posture utilizes multisensory afferences (e.g., vision). Whereas visual feedback of spontaneous postural sway can stabilize postural control especially when observers concentrate on their body and intend to minimize postural sway, the effect of intentional control of visual feedback on postural sway itself remains unclear. This study assessed quiet standing posture in healthy adults voluntarily controlling or merely observing visual feedback. The visual feedback (moving square) had either low or high gain and was either horizontally flipped or not. Participants in the voluntary-control group were instructed to minimize their postural sway while voluntarily controlling visual feedback, whereas those in the observation group were instructed to minimize their postural sway while merely observing visual feedback. As a result, magnified and flipped visual feedback increased postural sway only in the voluntary-control group. Furthermore, regardless of the instructions and feedback manipulations, the experienced sense of control over visual feedback positively correlated with the magnitude of postural sway. We suggest that voluntarily controlled, but not merely observed, visual feedback is incorporated into the feedback control system for posture and begins to affect postural sway. PMID:29682421

  9. The influence of motor imagery on postural sway: Differential effects of type of body movement and person perspective

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stins, J.F.; Schneider, I.K.; Koole, S.L.; Beek, P.J.

    2015-01-01

    The present study examined the differential effects of kinesthetic imagery (first person perspective) and visual imagery (third person perspective) on postural sway during quiet standing. Based on an embodied cognition perspective, the authors predicted that kinesthetic imagery would lead to

  10. Individual differences in brainstem and basal ganglia structure predict postural control and balance loss in young and older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boisgontier, Matthieu P; Cheval, Boris; Chalavi, Sima; van Ruitenbeek, Peter; Leunissen, Inge; Levin, Oron; Nieuwboer, Alice; Swinnen, Stephan P

    2017-02-01

    It remains unclear which specific brain regions are the most critical for human postural control and balance, and whether they mediate the effect of age. Here, associations between postural performance and corticosubcortical brain regions were examined in young and older adults using multiple structural imaging and linear mixed models. Results showed that of the regions involved in posture, the brainstem was the strongest predictor of postural control and balance: lower brainstem volume predicted larger center of pressure deviation and higher odds of balance loss. Analyses of white and gray matter in the brainstem showed that the pedunculopontine nucleus area appeared to be critical for postural control in both young and older adults. In addition, the brainstem mediated the effect of age on postural control, underscoring the brainstem's fundamental role in aging. Conversely, lower basal ganglia volume predicted better postural performance, suggesting an association between greater neural resources in the basal ganglia and greater movement vigor, resulting in exaggerated postural adjustments. Finally, results showed that practice, shorter height and heavier weight (i.e., higher body mass index), higher total physical activity, and larger ankle active (but not passive) range of motion were predictive of more stable posture, irrespective of age. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Physiological complexity and system adaptability: evidence from postural control dynamics of older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manor, Brad; Costa, Madalena D; Hu, Kun; Newton, Elizabeth; Starobinets, Olga; Kang, Hyun Gu; Peng, C K; Novak, Vera; Lipsitz, Lewis A

    2010-12-01

    The degree of multiscale complexity in human behavioral regulation, such as that required for postural control, appears to decrease with advanced aging or disease. To help delineate causes and functional consequences of complexity loss, we examined the effects of visual and somatosensory impairment on the complexity of postural sway during quiet standing and its relationship to postural adaptation to cognitive dual tasking. Participants of the MOBILIZE Boston Study were classified into mutually exclusive groups: controls [intact vision and foot somatosensation, n = 299, 76 ± 5 (SD) yr old], visual impairment only (Postural sway (i.e., center-of-pressure) dynamics were assessed during quiet standing and cognitive dual tasking, and a complexity index was quantified using multiscale entropy analysis. Postural sway speed and area, which did not correlate with complexity, were also computed. During quiet standing, the complexity index (mean ± SD) was highest in controls (9.5 ± 1.2) and successively lower in the visual (9.1 ± 1.1), somatosensory (8.6 ± 1.6), and combined (7.8 ± 1.3) impairment groups (P = 0.001). Dual tasking resulted in increased sway speed and area but reduced complexity (P postural sway speed from quiet standing to dual-tasking conditions. Sensory impairments contributed to decreased postural sway complexity, which reflected reduced adaptive capacity of the postural control system. Relatively low baseline complexity may, therefore, indicate control systems that are more vulnerable to cognitive and other stressors.

  12. Standing orthostatic blood pressure measurements cannot be replaced by sitting measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breeuwsma, Anna C; Hartog, Laura C; Kamper, Adriaan M; Groenier, Klaas H; Bilo, Henk Jg; Kleefstra, Nanne; Van Hateren, Kornelis Jj

    2017-08-01

    As many elderly patients are not able to stand for several minutes, sitting orthostatic blood pressure (BP) measurements are sometimes used as an alternative. We aimed to investigate the difference in BP response and orthostatic hypotension (OH) prevalence between the standard postural change to the sitting and the standing position in a cross-sectional observational study. BP was measured with a continuous BP measurement device during two postural changes, from supine to the sitting and from supine to the standing position. Linear mixed models were used to investigate the differences in changes (Δ) of systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) between the two postural changes. The prevalence and the positive and negative proportions of agreement of OH were calculated of the two postural changes. One hundred and four patients with a mean age of 69 years were included. ΔSBP was significantly larger in the standing position compared with the sitting between 0 and 44 s. ΔDBP was significantly larger in the sitting position compared with the standing 75-224 s after postural change. The prevalence of OH was 66.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 57.2, 75.4) in the standing position and 67.3% (95% CI 58.3, 76.3) in the sitting position. The positive proportion of agreement was 74.8% and the negative proportion of agreement was 49.3%. A clear difference was seen in BP response between the two postural changes. Although no significant difference in prevalence of OH was observed, the positive and negative proportion of agreement of the prevalence of OH were poor to moderate, which indicates a different outcome between both postural changes.

  13. Effect of different head-neck-jaw postures on cervicocephalic kinesthetic sense.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zafar, H; Alghadir, A H; Iqbal, Z A

    2017-12-01

    To investigate the effect of different induced head-neck-jaw postures on head-neck relocation error among healthy subjects. 30 healthy adult male subjects participated in this study. Cervicocephalic kinesthetic sense was measured while standing, habitual sitting, habitual sitting with clenched jaw and habitual sitting with forward head posture during right rotation, left rotation, flexion and extension using kinesthetic sensibility test. Head-neck relocation error was least while standing, followed by habitual sitting, habitual sitting with forward head posture and habitual sitting with jaw clenched. However, there was no significant difference in error between different tested postures during all the movements. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to see the effect of different induced head-neck-jaw postures on head-neck position sense among healthy subjects. Assuming a posture for a short duration of time doesn't affect head-neck relocation error in normal healthy subjects.

  14. Evaluation of postural stability during quiet standing, step-up and step-up with lateral perturbation in subjects with and without low back pain.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Ram Prasad

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available The  evaluation  of  postural  stability  during  quiet stance,  step  up  and step  up  task  with  perturbation  using posturography  could  be  useful  in treatment  and  outcome monitoring  in  chronic  low  back  pain rehabilitation  (CLBP.  The aims  of  this  study  were  twofold  and investigating  1  differences of postural stability measures between CLBP patients and healthy participants  during  above  mentioned  tasks.  2 postural  stability characteristics between control and movement impairment groups of  CLBP  patients  on  above  tasks.  Fourteen  CLBP  and fifteen normal  individuals  participated  and  posturography outcome variables  were  obtained  during  above  tasks.  The  low  back pain  subjects  showed  significantly  different  anterior-posterior (p=0 .01 as well as medio- lateral (p=0.05 postural stability characteristics during the step up task with external perturbation, whereas quiet standing and simple step up task did not show any differences. In addition to these values, in CLBP population, the maximum COP excursion (p=0.01, standard stability (p=0.02 and the stability scores (p=0.02 were also found significant in step up with perturbation task compared to healthy participants. As the task difficulty increases CLBP patients exhibited significantly different postural stability characteristics compared to healthy participants. Conversely, sub-group analysis in CLBP patients revealed significant differences only in medio-lateral COP excursions during normal standing (p=0.005. No significant differences were observed in tasks of higher difficulties such as step up and step up task with lateral perturbation in-between patients with movement and control impairment groups of CLBP. These findings have implications for assessment and optimizing postural control interventions on functional back pain rehabilitation.

  15. Investigation of postural edema in the lower extremities of traffic control workers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Paula Nunes Pereira Brito

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Determine the prevalence of postural edema and investigate whether working posture - sitting down or standing up - affect its frequency. METHODS: Sixteen traffic control agents were assessed by water displacement volumetry and the results were analyzed in two groups, depending on working posture. Those who worked standing up for more than 4 hours were allocated to the SU group and those who worked sitting down for more than 4 hours were allocated to the SD group. Each worker was assessed before and after their working shift for three consecutive days. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and the test of equality of two proportions. The significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05. The assessment showed that members of both groups had postural edema of the lower extremities (p ≤ 0.001. RESULTS: When the frequency of postural edema was compared across groups, a trend was observed for greater edema formation in the SU group than in the SD group, although without statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that traffic control agents suffer postural edema after 4 hours working in either of the postures investigated although with a predominance of edema formation among those who work standing up.

  16. Cardio-postural interactions and short-arm centrifugation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blaber, Andrew; Goswami, Nandu; Xu, Da; Laurin, Alexendre

    INTRODUCTION: We are interested in mechanisms associated with orthostatic tolerance. In previous studies we have shown that postural muscles in the calf contribute to both posture and blood pressure regulation during orthostatic stress. In this study we investigated the relationship between cardiovascular and postural muscle control before, during and after short arm human centrifuge (SAHC) up to 2.2 G. METHODS: Eleven healthy young subjects (6 m, 5 f), with no history of cardiovascular disease, falls or orthostatic hypotension, participated. All were familiarized with the SAHC with 10 minutes at 1-G at the feet. Each subject was instrumented in the supine position on the SAHC for beat-to-beat ECG and blood pressure (Portapres derived SBP). Bilateral lower leg EMG was collected from four leg postural muscles: tibialis anterior, medial gastrocnemius, lateral gastrocnemius, and medial soleus. Transdermal differential recording of signals was performed using an 8-channel EMG system, (Myosystem 1200, Noraxon Inc., Arizona, USA). Postural sway data of the body COP was computed from the force and moment data collected with a force platform (Accusway, AMTI, MA, USA). Before and after SAHC, the subject stood on a force platform with their gaze fixed on a point at eye level, closed their eyes and stood quietly for 5 min. A final stand was conducted 30 min after centrifugation with supine rest in between. During clockwise centrifugation (10-min 1g and 10-min 2.2g at the foot) the subjects’ head was hooded and in the dark. The subject’s body was restrained into the rotation arm with a parachute harness and given additional body support with a foot-plate. ECG, EMG and BP data were collected throughout and centre of pressure trajectory (COP) collected during the stand test. Subjects were requested to relax and not to voluntarily contract the leg muscles; however, they were not to suppress contractions as they occurred involuntarily or by reflex. A Continuous Wavelet

  17. Can smartwatches replace smartphones for posture tracking?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mortazavi, Bobak; Nemati, Ebrahim; VanderWall, Kristina; Flores-Rodriguez, Hector G; Cai, Jun Yu Jacinta; Lucier, Jessica; Naeim, Arash; Sarrafzadeh, Majid

    2015-10-22

    This paper introduces a human posture tracking platform to identify the human postures of sitting, standing or lying down, based on a smartwatch. This work develops such a system as a proof-of-concept study to investigate a smartwatch's ability to be used in future remote health monitoring systems and applications. This work validates the smartwatches' ability to track the posture of users accurately in a laboratory setting while reducing the sampling rate to potentially improve battery life, the first steps in verifying that such a system would work in future clinical settings. The algorithm developed classifies the transitions between three posture states of sitting, standing and lying down, by identifying these transition movements, as well as other movements that might be mistaken for these transitions. The system is trained and developed on a Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch, and the algorithm was validated through a leave-one-subject-out cross-validation of 20 subjects. The system can identify the appropriate transitions at only 10 Hz with an F-score of 0.930, indicating its ability to effectively replace smart phones, if needed.

  18. Unexperienced mechanical effects of muscular fatigue can be predicted by the Central Nervous System as revealed by anticipatory postural adjustments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monjo, Florian; Forestier, Nicolas

    2014-09-01

    Muscular fatigue effects have been shown to be compensated by the implementation of adaptive compensatory neuromuscular strategies, resulting in modifications of the initial motion coordination. However, no studies have focused on the efficiency of the feedforward motor commands when muscular fatigue occurs for the first time during a particular movement. This study included 18 healthy subjects who had to perform arm-raising movements in a standing posture at a maximal velocity before and after a fatiguing procedure involving focal muscles. The arm-raising task implies the generation of predictive processes of control, namely Anticipatory Postural Adjustments (APAs), whose temporal and quantitative features have been shown to be dependent on the kinematics of the upcoming arm-raising movement. By altering significantly the kinematic profile of the focal movement with a fatiguing procedure, we sought to find out whether APAs scaled to the lower mechanical disturbance. APAs were measured using surface electromyography. Following the fatiguing procedure, acceleration peaks of the arm movement decreased by ~27%. APAs scaled to this lower fatigue-related disturbance during the very first trial post-fatigue, suggesting that the Central Nervous System can predict unexperienced mechanical effects of muscle fatigue. It is suggested that these results are accounted for by prediction processes in which the central integration of the groups III and IV afferents leads to an update of the internal model by remapping the relationship between focal motor command magnitude and the actual mechanical output.

  19. Comparison of postural sway depending on balance pad type.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, DongGeon; Kim, HaNa; An, HyunJi; Jang, JiEun; Hong, SoungKyun; Jung, SunHye; Lee, Kyeongbong; Choi, Myong-Ryol; Lee, Kyung-Hee; Lee, GyuChang

    2018-02-01

    [Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to compare the postural sway of healthy adults standing on different types of balance pads. [Subjects and Methods] Nine healthy adults participated in this study. Postural body sway was measured while participants were standing on four different types of balance pads: Balance-pad Elite (BE), Aero-Step XL (AS), Dynair Ballkissen Senso (DBS), and Dynair Ballkissen XXL Meditation and Yoga (DBMY). A Wii Balance Board interfaced with Balancia software was used to measure postural body sway. [Results] In the sway velocity, sway path length, and sway area, no significant differences were found between baseline conditions (participants were standing on the floor with no balance pad) and the use of the BE or AS. However, significant increases in all parameters were found comparing baseline conditions to the use of either Dynair balance pad. Furthermore, the use of either Dynair balance pad significantly increased postural sway compared to both the BE and the AS. [Conclusion] These findings suggest that the DBS and DBMY balance pads may serve as superior tools for providing unstable condition for balance training than the BE and the AS balance pads.

  20. Effect of Global Postural Reeducation on cardiovascular system of healthy subjects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizângela Márcia de Carvalho Abreu

    Full Text Available Objective To evaluate the effect of Global Postural Reeducation (GPR on cardiovascular system by heart rate variability (HRV, blood pressure (BP and heart rate (HR. Materials and methods Seventeen healthy men (22.47 ± 3.02 years were submitted to the postures frog on the floor, frog on the air, sitting, standing against the wall and inclined standing, two postures per session. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP and HR were recorded. The intervals between heartbeats were collected during the whole session (Polar S810i. The frequency domain was analyzed (Wavelet Transform, the low frequency (LF and high frequency (HF were obtained. The data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey (p < 0.05. Results Increased LF/HF ratio was observed in the frog on the floor (1 ± 0.1 vs. 2 ± 0.3 p < 0.05 and on the air postures (1 ± 0.1 vs. 2 ± 0.2 p < 0.01. There was an increase in SBP in the postures frog on the floor (123 ± 2 vs. 136 ± 4 p < 0.05, frog on the air (122 ± 2 vs. 133 ± 3 p < 0.05, standing against the wall (123 ± 2 vs. 136 ± 4 p < 0.05, inclined standing (124 ± 3 vs. 146 ± 5 p < 0.05. There was increase of DBP in the postures frog on the floor (69 ± 2 vs. 81 ± 2 p < 0.01, frog on the air (72 ± 2 vs. 83 ± 3 p < 0.05, sitting (85 ± 2 vs. 102 ± 3 p < 0.01. There was increase in HR in the postures frog on the air (67 ± 2 vs. 77 ± 3 p < 0.05 and inclined standing (88 ± 3.5 vs. 101 ± 3 p < 0.05. Conclusion The increase in LF/HF ratio and also the BP and HR indicates high sympathetic activity, possibly related to the work isometric developed during GPR method. [P

  1. Postural control is altered in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vergara, Martin E; O'Shea, Finbar D; Inman, Robert D; Gage, William H

    2012-05-01

    Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can lead to increased axial and peripheral joint stiffness, impairing joint mobility. Impaired axial mobility due to vertebral ankylosis may result in changes in standing postural control. Little research has addressed changes in standing postural control in the ankylosing spondylitis population, nor how these issues might affect clinical understanding and treatment. Sixteen ankylosing spondylitis patients, and 17 healthy controls participated. Each individual completed two 120-second quiet standing trials with eyes open and eyes closed, while standing upon two force platforms. Net center of pressure displacement and mean power frequency in the frontal and sagittal planes were calculated. A Spearman's rank correlation analysis was performed between net center of pressure measures and several clinical measures of disease activity. Frontal plane net center of pressure displacement and frequency content, and sagittal plane net center of pressure displacement were significantly greater within the ankylosing spondylitis patient group. Ankylosing spondylitis patients demonstrated a significant increase in frontal plane net center of pressure displacement in the eyes-closed condition. Net center of pressure displacement and frequency were significantly correlated to the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index, and individual components of the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index. Quiet standing postural control was altered particularly so in the frontal plane in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, which may be associated with increased fall risk. Posturographic measures of postural control may serve as valuable clinical tools for the monitoring of disease progression and disease status in ankylosing spondylitis. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Comparison of postural stability between injured and uninjured ballet dancers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Cheng-Feng; Lee, I-Jung; Liao, Jung-Hsien; Wu, Hong-Wen; Su, Fong-Chin

    2011-06-01

    Ballet movements require a limited base of support; thus, ballet dancers require a high level of postural control. However, postural stability in ballet dancers is still unclear and needs to be understood. To evaluate ballet dancers' postural stability in performing single-leg standing, the en pointe task, and the first and fifth positions and to determine differences in task performance among healthy nondancers, healthy dancers, and dancers with ankle sprains. Controlled laboratory study. Injured dancers, uninjured dancers, and nondancers were recruited for this study (N = 33 age-matched participants; n= 11 per group). The tasks tested were single-leg standing with eyes open and closed, first position, fifth position, and en pointe. Center of pressure parameters were calculated from the ground-reaction force collected with 1 force plate. Analysis of variance was used to assess the differences of center of pressure parameters among 3 groups in single-leg standing; independent t test was used to examine the differences of center of pressure parameters between injured and uninjured dancers. During single-leg standing, injured dancers had significantly greater maximum displacement in the medial-lateral direction and total trajectory of center of pressure, compared with the uninjured dancers and nondancers. During the first and fifth positions, the injured dancers demonstrated significantly greater standard deviation of center of pressure position in the medial-lateral and anterior-posterior directions, compared with the uninjured dancers. During en pointe, the injured dancers had significantly greater maximum displacement in the medial-lateral direction and the anterior-posterior direction, compared with the uninjured dancers. The injured and uninjured dancers demonstrated differences in postural stability in the medial-lateral direction during single-leg standing and the ballet postures. Although the injured dancers received ballet training, their postural stability

  3. Dual task interference on postural sway, postural transitions and gait in people with Parkinson's disease and freezing of gait.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Souza Fortaleza, Ana Claudia; Mancini, Martina; Carlson-Kuhta, Patty; King, Laurie A; Nutt, John G; Chagas, Eliane Ferrari; Freitas, Ismael Forte; Horak, Fay B

    2017-07-01

    Freezing of gait (FoG) is associated with less automatic gait and more impaired cognition, balance and postural transitions compared to people with PD who do not have FoG. However, it is unknown whether dual-task cost during postural sway, postural transitions (such as gait initiation and turning), and gait are more in subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) who have freezing of gait (FoG+) compared to those who do not have FoG (FoG-). Here, we hypothesized that the effects of a cognitive dual task on postural sway, postural transitions and gait would be larger in FoG+ than FoG-. Thirty FoG- and 24 FoG+ performed an Instrumented Stand and Walk test in OFF medication state, with and without a secondary cognitive task (serial subtraction by 3s). Measures of postural sway, gait initiation, turning, and walking were extracted using body-worn inertial sensors. FoG+ showed significantly larger dual task cost than FoG- for several gait metrics, but not during postural sway or postural transitions. During walking, FoG+ exhibited a larger dual task cost than FoG- resulting in shorter stride length and slower stride velocity. During standing, FoG+ showed a larger postural sway compared to FoG- and during gait initiation, FoG+, but not FoG-, showed a longer first step duration during the dual-task condition compared to single-task condition (interaction effect, p=0.04). During turning, both groups showed a slower turn peak speed in the dual-task condition compared to single task condition. These findings partly support our hypothesis that dual task cost on walking is greater in FoG+ than FoG-. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  4. Evaluating biomechanics of user-selected sitting and standing computer workstation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Michael Y; Barbir, Ana; Dennerlein, Jack T

    2017-11-01

    A standing computer workstation has now become a popular modern work place intervention to reduce sedentary behavior at work. However, user's interaction related to a standing computer workstation and its differences with a sitting workstation need to be understood to assist in developing recommendations for use and set up. The study compared the differences in upper extremity posture and muscle activity between user-selected sitting and standing workstation setups. Twenty participants (10 females, 10 males) volunteered for the study. 3-D posture, surface electromyography, and user-reported discomfort were measured while completing simulated tasks with each participant's self-selected workstation setups. Sitting computer workstation associated with more non-neutral shoulder postures and greater shoulder muscle activity, while standing computer workstation induced greater wrist adduction angle and greater extensor carpi radialis muscle activity. Sitting computer workstation also associated with greater shoulder abduction postural variation (90th-10th percentile) while standing computer workstation associated with greater variation for should rotation and wrist extension. Users reported similar overall discomfort levels within the first 10 min of work but had more than twice as much discomfort while standing than sitting after 45 min; with most discomfort reported in the low back for standing and shoulder for sitting. These different measures provide understanding in users' different interactions with sitting and standing and by alternating between the two configurations in short bouts may be a way of changing the loading pattern on the upper extremity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. An active balance board system with real-time control of stiffness and time-delay to assess mechanisms of postural stability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruise, Denise R; Chagdes, James R; Liddy, Joshua J; Rietdyk, Shirley; Haddad, Jeffrey M; Zelaznik, Howard N; Raman, Arvind

    2017-07-26

    Increased time-delay in the neuromuscular system caused by neurological disorders, concussions, or advancing age is an important factor contributing to balance loss (Chagdes et al., 2013, 2016a,b). We present the design and fabrication of an active balance board system that allows for a systematic study of stiffness and time-delay induced instabilities in standing posture. Although current commercial balance boards allow for variable stiffness, they do not allow for manipulation of time-delay. Having two controllable parameters can more accurately determine the cause of balance deficiencies, and allows us to induce instabilities even in healthy populations. An inverted pendulum model of human posture on such an active balance board predicts that reduced board rotational stiffness destabilizes upright posture through board tipping, and limit cycle oscillations about the upright position emerge as feedback time-delay is increased. We validate these two mechanisms of instability on the designed balance board, showing that rotational stiffness and board time-delay induced the predicted postural instabilities in healthy, young adults. Although current commercial balance boards utilize control of rotational stiffness, real-time control of both stiffness and time-delay on an active balance board is a novel and innovative manipulation to reveal balance deficiencies and potentially improve individualized balance training by targeting multiple dimensions contributing to standing balance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. The effects of healthy aging on cerebral hemodynamic responses to posture change

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edlow, Brian L; Greenberg, Joel H; Detre, John A; Kim, Meeri N; Durduran, Turgut; Zhou, Chao; Yodh, Arjun G; Putt, Mary E

    2010-01-01

    Aging is associated with an increased incidence of orthostatic hypotension, impairment of the baroreceptor reflex and lower baseline cerebral blood flow. The effect of aging on cerebrovascular autoregulation, however, remains to be fully elucidated. We used a novel optical instrument to assess microvascular cerebral hemodynamics in the frontal lobe cortex of 60 healthy subjects ranging from ages 20–78. Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) were used to measure relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF), total hemoglobin concentration (THC), oxyhemoglobin concentration (HbO 2 ) and deoxyhemoglobin concentration (Hb). Cerebral hemodynamics were monitored for 5 min at each of the following postures: head-of-bed 30°, supine, standing and supine. Supine-to-standing posture change caused significant declines in rCBF, THC and HbO 2 , and an increase in Hb, across the age continuum (p < 0.01). Healthy aging did not alter postural changes in frontal cortical rCBF (p = 0.23) and was associated with a smaller magnitude of decline in HbO 2 (p < 0.05) during supine-to-standing posture change. We conclude that healthy aging does not alter postural changes in frontal cortical perfusion

  7. Assessment of postural instability in patients with Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Błaszczyk, J W; Orawiec, R; Duda-Kłodowska, D; Opala, G

    2007-10-01

    Postural instability is one of the most disabling features of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, we focused on postural instability as the main factor predisposing parkinsonians to falls. For this purpose, changes in sway characteristics during quiet stance due to visual feedback exclusion were studied. We searched for postural sway measures that could be potential discriminators for an increased fall risk. A group of 110 subjects: 55 parkinsonians (Hoehn and Yahr: 1-3), and 55 age-matched healthy volunteers participated in the experiment. Their spontaneous sway characteristics while standing quiet with eyes open and eyes closed were analyzed. We found that an increased mediolateral sway and sway area while standing with eyes closed are characteristic of parkinsonian postural instability and may serve to quantify well a tendency to fall. These sway indices significantly correlated with disease severity rated both by the Hoehn and Yahr scale as well as by the Motor Section of the UPDRS. A forward shift of a mean COP position in parkinsonians which reflects their flexed posture was also significantly greater to compare with the elderly subjects and exhibited a high sensitivity to visual conditions. Both groups of postural sway abnormalities identified here may be used as accessible and reliable measures which allow for quantitative assessment of postural instability in Parkinson's disease.

  8. Do children perceive postural constraints when estimating reach or action planning?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabbard, Carl; Cordova, Alberto; Lee, Sunghan

    2009-03-01

    Estimation of whether an object is reachable from a specific body position constitutes an important aspect in effective motor planning. Researchers who estimate reachability by way of motor imagery with adults consistently report the tendency to overestimate, with some evidence of a postural effect (postural stability hypothesis). This idea suggests that perceived reaching limits depend on an individual's perceived postural constraints. Based on previous work with adults, the authors expected a significant postural effect with the Reach 2 condition, as evidenced by reduced overestimation. Furthermore, the authors hypothesized that the postural effect would be greater in younger children. They then tested these propositions among children aged 7, 9, and 11 years by asking them to estimate reach while seated (Reach 1) and in the more demanding posture of standing on 1 foot and leaning forward (Reach 2). Results indicated no age or condition difference, therefore providing no support for a postural effect. When the authors compared these data to a published report of adults, a developmental difference emerged. That is, adults recognize the perceived postural constraint of the standing position resulting in under- rather than overestimation, as displayed in the seated condition. Although preliminary, these observations suggest that estimates of reach (action planning) continue to be refined between late childhood and young adulthood.

  9. The effect of backpack weight on the standing posture and balance of schoolgirls with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and normal controls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chow, Daniel H K; Kwok, Monica L Y; Cheng, Jack C Y; Lao, Miko L M; Holmes, Andrew D; Au-Yang, Alexander; Yao, Fiona Y D; Wong, M S

    2006-10-01

    Concerns have been raised regarding the effect of carrying a backpack on adolescent posture and balance, but the effect of backpack loading combined with other factors affecting balance, such as adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), has not been determined. This study examines the effects of backpack load on the posture and balance of schoolgirls with AIS and normal controls. The standing posture of 26 schoolgirls with mild AIS (mean age 13, Cobb angle 10-25 degrees ) and 20 age-matched normal schoolgirls were recorded without a backpack and while carrying a standard dual-strap backpack loaded at 7.5%, 10%, 12.5% and 15% of the subject's bodyweight (BW). Kinematics of the pelvis, trunk and head were recorded using a motion analysis system and centre of pressure (COP) data were recorded using a force platform. Reliable COP data could only be derived for 13 of the subjects with AIS. Increasing backpack load causes a significantly increased flexion of the trunk in relation to the pelvis and extension of the head in relation to the trunk, as well as increased antero-posterior range of COP motion. While backpack load appears to affect balance predominantly in the antero-posterior direction, differences between groups were more evident in the medio-lateral direction, with AIS subjects showing poor balance in this direction. Overall, carrying a backpack causes similar sagittal plane changes in posture and balance in both normal and AIS groups. Load size or subject group did not influence balance, but the additive effect of backpack carrying and AIS on postural control alters the risk of fall in this population. Therefore, load limit recommendations based on normal subjects should not be applicable to subjects with AIS.

  10. Effect of alternating postures on cognitive performance for healthy people performing sedentary work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, Bernhard; Kapellusch, Jay M; Schrempf, Andreas; Probst, Kathrin; Haller, Michael; Baca, Arnold

    2018-06-01

    Prolonged sitting is a risk factor for several diseases and the prevalence of worksite-based interventions such as sit-to-stand workstations is increasing. Although their impact on sedentary behaviour has been regularly investigated, the effect of working in alternating body postures on cognitive performance is unclear. To address this uncertainty, 45 students participated in a two-arm, randomised controlled cross-over trial under laboratory conditions. Subjects executed validated cognitive tests (working speed, reaction time, concentration performance) either in sitting or alternating working postures on two separate days (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02863731). MANOVA results showed no significant difference in cognitive performance between trials executed in alternating, standing or sitting postures. Perceived workload did not differ between sitting and alternating days. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant learning effects regarding concentration performance and working speed for both days. These results suggest that working posture did not affect cognitive performance in the short term. Practitioner Summary: Prior reports indicated health-related benefits based on alternated (sit/stand) body postures. Nevertheless, their effect on cognitive performance is unknown. This randomised controlled trial showed that working in alternating body postures did not influence reaction time, concentration performance, working speed or workload perception in the short term.

  11. Fatigue does not conjointly alter postural and cognitive performance when standing in a shooting position under dual-task conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bermejo, José Luis; García-Massó, Xavier; Paillard, Thierry; Noé, Frédéric

    2018-02-01

    This study investigated the effects of fatigue on balance control and cognitive performance in a standing shooting position. Nineteen soldiers were asked to stand while holding a rifle (single task - ST). They also had to perform this postural task while simultaneously completing a cognitive task (dual task - DT). Both the ST and DT were performed in pre- and post-fatigue conditions. In pre-fatigue, participants achieved better balance control in the DT than in the ST, thus suggesting that the increased cognitive activity associated with the DT improves balance control by shifting the attentional focus away from a highly automatised activity. In post-fatigue, balance control was degraded in both the ST and DT, while reaction time was enhanced in the first minutes following the fatiguing exercise without affecting the accuracy of response in the cognitive task, which highlights the relative independent effects of fatigue on balance control and cognitive performance.

  12. Photographic measurement of head and cervical posture when viewing mobile phone: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guan, Xiaofei; Fan, Guoxin; Wu, Xinbo; Zeng, Ying; Su, Hang; Gu, Guangfei; Zhou, Qi; Gu, Xin; Zhang, Hailong; He, Shisheng

    2015-12-01

    With the dramatic growth of mobile phone usage, concerns have been raised with regard to the adverse health effects of mobile phone on spinal posture. The aim of this study was to determine the head and cervical postures by photogrammetry when viewing the mobile phone screen, compared with those in neutral standing posture. A total of 186 subjects (81 females and 105 males) aged from 17 to 31 years old participated in this study. Subjects were instructed to stand neutrally and using mobile phone as in daily life. Using a photographic method, the sagittal head and cervical postures were assessed by head tilt angle, neck tilt angle, forward head shift and gaze angle. The photographic method showed a high intra-rater and inter-rater reliability in measuring the sagittal posture of cervical spine and gaze angle (ICCs ranged from 0.80 to 0.99). When looking at mobile phone, the head tilt angle significantly increased (from 74.55° to 95.22°, p = 0.000) and the neck angle decreased (from 54.68° to 38.77°, p = 0.000). The forward head posture was also confirmed by the significantly increased head shift (from 10.90 to 13.85 cm, p = 0.000). The posture assumed in mobile phone use was significantly correlated with neutral posture (p phone use. Compared to neutral standing, subjects display a more forward head posture when viewing the mobile phone screen, which is correlated with neutral posture, gaze angle and gender. Future studies will be needed to investigate a dose-response relationship between mobile phone use and assumed posture.

  13. Elderly fall risk prediction using static posturography

    OpenAIRE

    Howcroft, Jennifer; Lemaire, Edward D.; Kofman, Jonathan; McIlroy, William E.

    2017-01-01

    Maintaining and controlling postural balance is important for activities of daily living, with poor postural balance being predictive of future falls. This study investigated eyes open and eyes closed standing posturography with elderly adults to identify differences and determine appropriate outcome measure cut-off scores for prospective faller, single-faller, multi-faller, and non-faller classifications. 100 older adults (75.5 ± 6.7 years) stood quietly with eyes open and then eyes closed w...

  14. Posture-specific phantoms representing female and male adults in Monte Carlo-based simulations for radiological protection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cassola, V. F.; Kramer, R.; Brayner, C.; Khoury, H. J.

    2010-08-01

    Does the posture of a patient have an effect on the organ and tissue absorbed doses caused by x-ray examinations? This study aims to find the answer to this question, based on Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of commonly performed x-ray examinations using adult phantoms modelled to represent humans in standing as well as in the supine posture. The recently published FASH (female adult mesh) and MASH (male adult mesh) phantoms have the standing posture. In a first step, both phantoms were updated with respect to their anatomy: glandular tissue was separated from adipose tissue in the breasts, visceral fat was separated from subcutaneous fat, cartilage was segmented in ears, nose and around the thyroid, and the mass of the right lung is now 15% greater than the left lung. The updated versions are called FASH2_sta and MASH2_sta (sta = standing). Taking into account the gravitational effects on organ position and fat distribution, supine versions of the FASH2 and the MASH2 phantoms have been developed in this study and called FASH2_sup and MASH2_sup. MC simulations of external whole-body exposure to monoenergetic photons and partial-body exposure to x-rays have been made with the standing and supine FASH2 and MASH2 phantoms. For external whole-body exposure for AP and PA projection with photon energies above 30 keV, the effective dose did not change by more than 5% when the posture changed from standing to supine or vice versa. Apart from that, the supine posture is quite rare in occupational radiation protection from whole-body exposure. However, in the x-ray diagnosis supine posture is frequently used for patients submitted to examinations. Changes of organ absorbed doses up to 60% were found for simulations of chest and abdomen radiographs if the posture changed from standing to supine or vice versa. A further increase of differences between posture-specific organ and tissue absorbed doses with increasing whole-body mass is to be expected.

  15. Postural sway in individuals with type 2 diabetes and concurrent benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Silva, Linda J; Kluding, Patricia M; Whitney, Susan L; Dai, Hongying; Santos, Marcio

    2017-12-01

    diabetes has been shown to affect the peripheral vestibular end organs and is associated with an increase in the frequency of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). People with diabetes have higher postural sway; however, the impact of symptomatic BPPV on postural sway in individuals with diabetes is unclear. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine postural sway in people with type 2 diabetes who have symptomatic, untreated BPPV (BPPVDM). fifty-two participants (mean age 56.9 ± 5.6 years) were enrolled: controls (n = 14), diabetes (n = 14), BPPV only (n = 13) and BPPVDM (n = 11). An inertial motion sensor was used to detect pelvic acceleration across five standing conditions with eyes open/closed on firm/foam surfaces. Range of acceleration (cm/s 2 ), peak velocity (cm/s) and variability of sway [root mean square (RMS)] in the anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) directions were used to compare postural sway between groups across conditions. participants with BPPVDM had higher ranges of acceleration in the AP (p = 0.02) and ML (p = 0.02) directions, as well as higher peak velocity (p diabetes groups. Standing on foam with eyes closed and tandem stance were challenging conditions for people with BPPVDM. clinicians may consider using standing on foam with eyes closed and tandem standing with eyes open to assess postural control in people with BPPVDM to identify postural instability.

  16. AN INVESTIGATION OF A REFERENCE POSTURE USED IN DETERMINING REARFOOT KINEMATICS FOR BOTH HEALTHY AND PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN SYNDROME INDIVIDUALS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pazit Levinger

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available The choice of a reference posture is important when investigating rearfoot motion in clinical populations. The reference posture used may affect the magnitude of the peak angles and therefore may not enable comparison of the rearfoot kinematics across different populations. This study examined the relationship between the rearfoot frontal plane pattern of motion and three reference postures during the stance phase of walking in healthy and patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS subjects. The three reference postures investigated were: Relaxed Standing posture, subtalar joint neutral position (STJN and when the calcaneus and the lower leg were vertically aligned (Vertical Alignment. The rearfoot inversion/eversion during the stance phase was measured in 14 healthy subjects and 13 subjects with diagnosed PFPS using three dimensional motion analysis with the three different reference postures. The graphs of rearfoot inversion/eversion motion were overlaid with the angle at the rearfoot in the static posture and any intersection between the static angle and rearfoot motion was noted. An ANOVA showed significant differences in static posture between the groups for Relaxed Standing (p = 0.01, and STJN (p = 0.02. For both groups, with Relaxed Standing as a reference posture, the mean rearfoot pattern of motion did not intersect the Relaxed Standing static angle during the stance phase. The use of Vertical Alignment reference posture, however, showed an intersection of this reference posture through the rearfoot pattern of motion. The use of the Vertical Alignment reference posture also generated a typical rearfoot motion pattern for both groups and therefore it may be an appropriate reference posture for both healthy and PFPS individuals

  17. Effect of intermittent feedback control on robustness of human-like postural control system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanabe, Hiroko; Fujii, Keisuke; Suzuki, Yasuyuki; Kouzaki, Motoki

    2016-03-01

    Humans have to acquire postural robustness to maintain stability against internal and external perturbations. Human standing has been recently modelled using an intermittent feedback control. However, the causality inside of the closed-loop postural control system associated with the neural control strategy is still unknown. Here, we examined the effect of intermittent feedback control on postural robustness and of changes in active/passive components on joint coordinative structure. We implemented computer simulation of a quadruple inverted pendulum that is mechanically close to human tiptoe standing. We simulated three pairs of joint viscoelasticity and three choices of neural control strategies for each joint: intermittent, continuous, or passive control. We examined postural robustness for each parameter set by analysing the region of active feedback gain. We found intermittent control at the hip joint was necessary for model stabilisation and model parameters affected the robustness of the pendulum. Joint sways of the pendulum model were partially smaller than or similar to those of experimental data. In conclusion, intermittent feedback control was necessary for the stabilisation of the quadruple inverted pendulum. Also, postural robustness of human-like multi-link standing would be achieved by both passive joint viscoelasticity and neural joint control strategies.

  18. Comparative shoulder kinematics during free standing, standing depression lifts and daily functional activities in persons with paraplegia: considerations for shoulder health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riek, L M; Ludewig, P M; Nawoczenski, D A

    2008-05-01

    Case series; nonparametric repeated-measures analysis of variance. To compare and contrast three-dimensional shoulder kinematics during frequently utilized upper extremity weight-bearing activities (standing depression lifts used in brace walking, weight-relief raises, transfers) and postures (sitting rest, standing in a frame) in spinal cord injury (SCI). Movement Analysis Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, Ithaca College, Rochester, NY, USA. Three female and two male subjects (39.2+/-6.1 years old) at least 12 months post-SCI (14.6+/-6.7 years old), SCI distal to T2 and with an ASIA score of A. The Flock of Birds magnetic tracking device was used to measure three-dimensional positions of the scapula, humerus and thorax during various activities. Standing in a frame resulted in significantly less scapular anterior tilt (AT) and greater glenohumeral external rotation (GHER) than standing depression lifts and weight-relief raises. Standing frame posture offers the most favorable shoulder joint positions (less scapular AT and greater GHER) when compared to sitting rest posture, weight-relief raises, transfers and standing depression lifts. Knowledge of kinematic patterns associated with each activity is an essential first step to understanding the potential impact on shoulder health. Choosing specific activities or modifying techniques within functional activities that promote favorable shoulder positions may preserve long-term shoulder health.

  19. Postural orientation : Age-related changes in variability and time-to-boundary

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Wegen, E. E.H.; Van Emmerik, R. E.A.; Riccio, G. E.

    2002-01-01

    The relation between age-specific postural instability and the detection of stability boundaries was examined. Balance control was investigated under different visual conditions (eyes open/closed) and postural orientations·(forward/backward lean) while standing on a force platform. Dependent

  20. Evaluation of the lambda model for human postural control during ankle strategy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Micheau, Philippe; Kron, Aymeric; Bourassa, Paul

    2003-09-01

    An accurate modeling of human stance might be helpful in assessing postural deficit. The objective of this article is to validate a mathematical postural control model for quiet standing posture. The postural dynamics is modeled in the sagittal plane as an inverted pendulum with torque applied at the ankle joint. The torque control system is represented by the physiological lambda model. Two neurophysiological command variables of the central nervous system, designated lambda and micro, establish the dynamic threshold muscle at which motoneuron recruitment begins. Kinematic data and electromyographic signals were collected on four young males in order to measure small voluntary sway and quiet standing posture. Validation of the mathematical model was achieved through comparison of the experimental and simulated results. The mathematical model allows computation of the unmeasurable neurophysiological commands lambda and micro that control the equilibrium position and stability. Furthermore, with the model it is possible to conclude that low-amplitude body sway during quiet stance is commanded by the central nervous system.

  1. Tail posture predicts tail biting outbreaks at pen level in weaner pigs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lahrmann, Helle Pelant; Hansen, Christian Fink; D'Eath, Rick

    2018-01-01

    posture and behaviour could be detected at pen level between upcoming tail biting pens (T-pens) and control pens (C-pens). The study included 2301 undocked weaner pigs in 74 pens (mean 31.1 pigs/pen; SD 1.5). Tails were scored three times weekly (wound freshness, wound severity and tail length) between 07......Detecting a tail biting outbreak early is essential to reduce the risk of pigs getting severe tail damage. A few previous studies suggest that tail posture and behavioural differences can predict an upcoming outbreak. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate if differences in tail......:00 h-14:00 h from weaning until a tail biting outbreak. An outbreak (day 0) occurred when at least four pigs had a tail damage, regardless of wound freshness. On average 7.6 (SD 4.3) pigs had a damaged tail (scratches + wound) in T-pens on day 0. Tail posture and behaviour (activity, eating...

  2. Long latency postural responses are functionally modified by cognitive set.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beckley, D J; Bloem, B R; Remler, M P; Roos, R A; Van Dijk, J G

    1991-10-01

    We examined how cognitive set influences the long latency components of normal postural responses in the legs. We disturbed the postural stability of standing human subjects with sudden toe-up ankle rotations. To influence the subjects' cognitive set, we varied the rotation amplitude either predictably (serial 4 degrees versus serial 10 degrees) or unpredictably (random mixture of 4 degrees and 10 degrees). The subjects' responses to these ankle rotations were assessed from the EMG activity of the tibialis anterior, the medial gastrocnemius, and the vastus lateralis muscles of the left leg. The results indicate that, when the rotation amplitude is predictable, only the amplitude of the long latency (LL) response in tibialis anterior and vastus lateralis varied directly with perturbation size. Furthermore, when the rotation amplitude is unpredictable, the central nervous system selects a default amplitude for the LL response in the tibialis anterior. When normal subjects are exposed to 2 perturbation amplitudes which include the potential risk of falling, the default LL response in tibialis anterior appropriately anticipates the larger amplitude perturbation rather than the smaller or an intermediate one.

  3. Blood pressure associates with standing balance in elderly outpatients.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jantsje H Pasma

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: Assessment of the association of blood pressure measurements in supine and standing position after a postural change, as a proxy for blood pressure regulation, with standing balance in a clinically relevant cohort of elderly, is of special interest as blood pressure may be important to identify patients at risk of having impaired standing balance in routine geriatric assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a cross-sectional cohort study, 197 community-dwelling elderly referred to a geriatric outpatient clinic of a middle-sized teaching hospital were included. Blood pressure was measured intermittently (n = 197 and continuously (subsample, n = 58 before and after a controlled postural change from supine to standing position. The ability to maintain standing balance was assessed during ten seconds of side-by-side, semi-tandem and tandem stance, with both eyes open and eyes closed. Self-reported impaired standing balance and history of falls were recorded by questionnaires. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between blood pressure and 1 the ability to maintain standing balance; 2 self-reported impaired standing balance; and 3 history of falls, adjusted for age and sex. RESULTS: Blood pressure decrease after postural change, measured continuously, was associated with reduced ability to maintain standing balance in semi-tandem stance with eyes closed and with increased self-reported impaired standing balance and falls. Presence of orthostatic hypotension was associated with reduced ability to maintain standing balance in semi-tandem stance with eyes closed for both intermittent and continuous measurements and with increased self-reported impaired standing balance for continuous measurements. CONCLUSION: Continuous blood pressure measurements are of additional value to identify patients at risk of having impaired standing balance and may therefore be useful in routine geriatric care.

  4. Anatomy and histochemistry of hindlimb flight posture in birds. I. The extended hindlimb posture of shorebirds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McFarland, Joshua C; Meyers, Ron A

    2008-08-01

    Birds utilize one of two hindlimb postures during flight: an extended posture (with the hip and knee joints flexed, while the ankle joint is extended caudally) or a flexed posture (with the hip, knee, and ankle joints flexed beneath the body). American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana) and Black-necked Stilts (Himantopus mexicanus) extend their legs caudally during flight and support them for extended periods. Slow tonic and slow twitch muscle fibers are typically found in muscles functioning in postural support due to the fatigue resistance of these fibers. We hypothesized that a set of small muscles composed of high percentages of slow fibers and thus dedicated to postural support would function in securing the legs in the extended posture during flight. This study examined the anatomy and histochemical profile of eleven hindlimb muscles to gain insight into their functional roles during flight. Contrary to our hypothesis, all muscles possessed both fast twitch and slow twitch or slow tonic fibers. We believe this finding is due to the versatility of dynamic and postural functions the leg muscles must facilitate, including standing, walking, running, swimming, and hindlimb support during flight. Whether birds use an extended or flexed hindlimb flight posture may be related to the aerodynamic effect of leg position or may reflect evolutionary history. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  5. Dynamic genetic linkage of intermediate blood pressure phenotypes during postural adaptations in a founder population

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arenas, I. A.; Tremblay, J.; Deslauriers, B.; Sandoval, J.; Šeda, O.; Gaudet, D.; Merlo, E.; Kotchen, T.; Cowley, A. W.

    2013-01-01

    Blood pressure (BP) is a dynamic phenotype that varies rapidly to adjust to changing environmental conditions. Standing upright is a recent evolutionary trait, and genetic factors that influence postural adaptations may contribute to BP variability. We studied the effect of posture on the genetics of BP and intermediate BP phenotypes. We included 384 sib-pairs in 64 sib-ships from families ascertained by early-onset hypertension and dyslipidemia. Blood pressure, three hemodynamic and seven neuroendocrine intermediate BP phenotypes were measured with subjects lying supine and standing upright. The effect of posture on estimates of heritability and genetic covariance was investigated in full pedigrees. Linkage was conducted on 196 candidate genes by sib-pair analyses, and empirical estimates of significance were obtained. A permutation algorithm was implemented to study the postural effect on linkage. ADRA1A, APO, CAST, CORIN, CRHR1, EDNRB, FGF2, GC, GJA1, KCNB2, MMP3, NPY, NR3C2, PLN, TGFBR2, TNFRSF6, and TRHR showed evidence of linkage with any phenotype in the supine position and not upon standing, whereas AKR1B1, CD36, EDNRA, F5, MMP9, PKD2, PON1, PPARG, PPARGC1A, PRKCA, and RET were specifically linked to standing phenotypes. Genetic profiling was undertaken to show genetic interactions among intermediate BP phenotypes and genes specific to each posture. When investigators perform genetic studies exclusively on a single posture, important genetic components of BP are missed. Supine and standing BPs have distinct genetic signatures. Standardized maneuvers influence the results of genetic investigations into BP, thus reflecting its dynamic regulation. PMID:23269701

  6. [Brief on the standardization of the practitioner's posture in acupuncture operation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Yonghui

    2015-07-01

    To discuss the standardization of the practitioner's posture in acupuncture operation. Based on the relevant discussion on 'way to holding needle' recorded in Lingshu (Miraculous Pivot) and in association with the clinical acupuncture practice, it was required to standardize the practitioner's posture in acupuncture operation in reference to Lingshu (Miraculous Pivot). The standard standing posture of the practitioner is the precondition of acupuncture operation; the standard holding needle with the puncture hand is the key to the exercise of acupuncture technique and the regular standing orientation is the need of acupuncture operation. The three aspects are complemented each other, which is the coordinative procedure in acupuncture operation and enable the practitioner's high concentration with the body, qi and mind involved.

  7. Effect of postural changes on ICP in healthy and ill subjects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Lonnie G; Juhler, Marianne

    2015-01-01

    to distinguish normal human physiology from disease entities such as idiopathic intracranial hypertension and normal pressure hydrocephalus, we investigated ICP in different body postures in both normal and ill subjects. METHODS: Thirty-one patients were included: four normal patients following complete removal......: upright standing, sitting in a chair, supine and right lateral lumbar puncture position. RESULTS: Linear regression of median ICP based on patient posture, group, and purpose of monitoring presented a significant model (p ... of differences in median ICP between body postures and supine ICP as the baseline, presented a highly significant model (p posture (p postures enabled...

  8. Temporal parameter change of human postural control ability during upright swing using recursive least square method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goto, Akifumi; Ishida, Mizuri; Sagawa, Koichi

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to derive quantitative assessment indicators of the human postural control ability. An inverted pendulum is applied to standing human body and is controlled by ankle joint torque according to PD control method in sagittal plane. Torque control parameters (KP: proportional gain, KD: derivative gain) and pole placements of postural control system are estimated with time from inclination angle variation using fixed trace method as recursive least square method. Eight young healthy volunteers are participated in the experiment, in which volunteers are asked to incline forward as far as and as fast as possible 10 times over 10 [s] stationary intervals with their neck joint, hip joint and knee joint fixed, and then return to initial upright posture. The inclination angle is measured by an optical motion capture system. Three conditions are introduced to simulate unstable standing posture; 1) eyes-opened posture for healthy condition, 2) eyes-closed posture for visual impaired and 3) one-legged posture for lower-extremity muscle weakness. The estimated parameters Kp, KD and pole placements are applied to multiple comparison test among all stability conditions. The test results indicate that Kp, KD and real pole reflect effect of lower-extremity muscle weakness and KD also represents effect of visual impairment. It is suggested that the proposed method is valid for quantitative assessment of standing postural control ability.

  9. Multi-joint postural behavior in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turcot, Katia; Sagawa, Yoshimasa; Hoffmeyer, Pierre; Suvà, Domizio; Armand, Stéphane

    2015-12-01

    Previous studies have demonstrated balance impairment in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Although it is currently accepted that postural control depends on multi-joint coordination, no study has previously considered this postural strategy in patients suffering from knee OA. The objectives of this study were to investigate the multi-joint postural behavior in patients with knee OA and to evaluate the association with clinical outcomes. Eighty-seven patients with knee OA and twenty-five healthy elderly were recruited to the study. A motion analysis system and two force plates were used to investigate the joint kinematics (trunk and lower body segments), the lower body joint moments, the vertical ground reaction force ratio and the center of pressure (COP) during a quiet standing task. Pain, functional capacity and quality of life status were also recorded. Patients with symptomatic and severe knee OA adopt a more flexed posture at all joint levels in comparison with the control group. A significant difference in the mean ratio was found between groups, showing an asymmetric weight distribution in patients with knee OA. A significant decrease in the COP range in the anterior-posterior direction was also observed in the group of patients. Only small associations were observed between postural impairments and clinical outcomes. This study brings new insights regarding the postural behavior of patients with severe knee OA during a quiet standing task. The results confirm the multi-joint asymmetric posture adopted by this population. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Center of Mass Acceleration Feedback Control of Standing Balance by Functional Neuromuscular Stimulation against External Postural Perturbations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nataraj, Raviraj; Audu, Musa L.; Triolo, Ronald J.

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated the use of center of mass (COM) acceleration feedback for improving performance of a functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS) control system to restore standing function to a subject with complete, thoracic-level spinal cord injury (SCI). The approach for linearly relating changes in muscle stimulation to changes in COM acceleration was verified experimentally and subsequently produced data to create an input-output map driven by sensor feedback. The feedback gains were systematically tuned to reduce upper extremity (UE) loads applied to an instrumented support device while resisting external postural disturbances. Total body COM acceleration was accurately estimated (> 89% variance explained) using three-dimensional (3-D) outputs of two accelerometers mounted on the pelvis and torso. Compared to constant muscle stimulation employed clinically, feedback control of stimulation reduced UE loading by 33%. COM acceleration feedback is advantageous in constructing a standing neuroprosthesis since it provides the basis for a comprehensive control synergy about a global, dynamic variable and requires minimal instrumentation. Future work should include tuning and testing the feedback control system during functional reaching activity that is more indicative of activities of daily living. PMID:22987499

  11. Barnacle geese achieve significant energetic savings by changing posture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tickle, Peter G; Nudds, Robert L; Codd, Jonathan R

    2012-01-01

    Here we report the resting metabolic rate in barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) and provide evidence for the significant energetic effect of posture. Under laboratory conditions flow-through respirometry together with synchronous recording of behaviour enabled a calculation of how metabolic rate varies with posture. Our principal finding is that standing bipedally incurs a 25% increase in metabolic rate compared to birds sitting on the ground. In addition to the expected decrease in energy consumption of hindlimb postural muscles when sitting, we hypothesise that a change in breathing mechanics represents one potential mechanism for at least part of the observed difference in energetic cost. Due to the significant effect of posture, future studies of resting metabolic rates need to take into account and/or report differences in posture.

  12. Dynamic postural control and associated attentional demands in contemporary dancers versus non-dancers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sirois-Leclerc, Geneviève; Remaud, Anthony; Bilodeau, Martin

    2017-01-01

    Postural control is not a fully automatic process, but requires a certain level of attention, particularly as the difficulty of the postural task increases. This study aimed at testing whether experienced contemporary dancers, because of their specialized training involving the control of posture/balance, would present with a dual-task performance suggesting lesser attentional demands associated with dynamic postural control compared with non-dancers. Twenty dancers and 16 non-dancers performed a dynamic postural tracking task in both antero-posterior and side-to-side directions, while standing on a force platform. The postural task was performed, in turn, 1) as a stand-alone task, and concurrently with both 2) a simple reaction time task and 3) a choice reaction time task. Postural control performance was estimated through variables calculated from centre of pressure movements. Although no overall group difference was found in reaction time values, we found a better ability to control the side to side movements of the centre of pressure during the tracking task in dancers compared with non-dancers, which was dependent on the secondary task. This suggests that such increased ability is influenced by available attentional resources.

  13. Dynamic postural control and associated attentional demands in contemporary dancers versus non-dancers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geneviève Sirois-Leclerc

    Full Text Available Postural control is not a fully automatic process, but requires a certain level of attention, particularly as the difficulty of the postural task increases. This study aimed at testing whether experienced contemporary dancers, because of their specialized training involving the control of posture/balance, would present with a dual-task performance suggesting lesser attentional demands associated with dynamic postural control compared with non-dancers. Twenty dancers and 16 non-dancers performed a dynamic postural tracking task in both antero-posterior and side-to-side directions, while standing on a force platform. The postural task was performed, in turn, 1 as a stand-alone task, and concurrently with both 2 a simple reaction time task and 3 a choice reaction time task. Postural control performance was estimated through variables calculated from centre of pressure movements. Although no overall group difference was found in reaction time values, we found a better ability to control the side to side movements of the centre of pressure during the tracking task in dancers compared with non-dancers, which was dependent on the secondary task. This suggests that such increased ability is influenced by available attentional resources.

  14. Advantages and disadvantages of stiffness instructions when studying postural control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonnet, Cédrick T

    2016-05-01

    To understand the maintenance of upright stance, researchers try to discover the fundamental mechanisms and attentional resources devoted to postural control and eventually to the performance of other tasks (e.g., counting in the head). During their studies, some researchers require participants to stand as steady as possible and other simply ask participants to stand naturally. Surprisingly, a clear and direct explanation of the usefulness of the steadiness requirement seems to be lacking, both in experimental and methodological discussions. Hence, the objective of the present note was to provide advantages and disadvantages of this steadiness requirement in studies of postural control. The advantages may be to study fundamental postural control, to eliminate useless postural variability, to control spurious body motions and to control the participants' thoughts. As disadvantages, this steadiness requirement only leads to study postural control in unnatural upright stance, it changes the focus of attention (internal vs. external) and the nature of postural control (unconscious vs. conscious), it increases the difficulty of a supposedly easy control task and it eliminates or reduces the opportunity to record exploratory behaviors. When looking carefully at the four advantages of the steadiness requirement, one can believe that they are, in fact, more disadvantageous than advantageous. Overall therefore, this requirement seems illegitimate and it is proposed that researchers should not use it in the study of postural control. They may use this requirement only if they search to know the limit until which participants can consciously reduce their postural sway. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. The effects of anxiety and external attentional focus on postural control in patients with Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jazaeri, Seyede Zohreh; Azad, Akram; Mehdizadeh, Hajar; Habibi, Seyed Amirhassan; Mandehgary Najafabadi, Mahbubeh; Saberi, Zakieh Sadat; Rahimzadegan, Hawre; Moradi, Saeed; Behzadipour, Saeed; Parnianpour, Mohamad; Taghizadeh, Ghorban; Khalaf, Kinda

    2018-01-01

    Although anxiety is a common non-motor outcome of Parkinson's disease (PD) affecting 40% of patients, little attention has been paid so far to its effects on balance impairment and postural control. Improvement of postural control through focusing on the environment (i.e. external focus) has been reported, but the role of anxiety, as a confounding variable, remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the influence of anxiety and attentional focus instruction on the standing postural control of PD patients. Thirty-four patients with PD (17 with high anxiety (HA-PD) and 17 with low anxiety (LA-PD)), as well as 17 gender- and age-matched healthy control subjects (HC) participated in the study. Postural control was evaluated using a combination of two levels of postural difficulty (standing on a rigid force plate surface with open eyes (RO) and standing on a foam surface with open eyes (FO)), as well as three attentional focus instructions (internal, external and no focus). Only the HA-PD group demonstrated significant postural control impairment as compared to the control, as indicated by significantly greater postural sway measures. Moreover, external focus significantly reduced postural sway in all participants especially during the FO condition. The results of the current study provide evidence that anxiety influences balance control and postural stability in patients with PD, particularly those with high levels of anxiety. The results also confirmed that external focus is a potential strategy that significantly improves the postural control of these patients. Further investigation of clinical applicability is warranted towards developing effective therapeutic and rehabilitative treatment plans.

  16. Impact of soft and hard insole density on postural stability in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Losa Iglesias, Marta Elena; Becerro de Bengoa Vallejo, Ricardo; Palacios Peña, Domingo

    2012-01-01

    A significant predictor of falls in the elderly population is attributed to postural instability. Thus, it is important to identify and implement practical clinical interventions to enhance postural stability in older adults. Shoe insoles have been identified as a mechanism to enhance postural control, and our study aimed to evaluate the impact of 2 shoe insoles on static standing balance in healthy, older adults compared with standing posture while barefoot. We hypothesized that both hard and soft shoe insoles would decrease postural sway compared with the barefoot condition. Indeed, excursion distances and sway areas were reduced, and sway velocity was decreased when wearing insoles. The hard insole was also effective when visual feedback was removed, suggesting that the more rigid an insole, the greater potential reduction in fall risk. Thus, shoe insoles may be a cost-effective, clinical intervention that is easy to implement to reduce the risk of falling in the elderly population. Copyright © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Rater reliability and construct validity of a mobile application for posture analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szucs, Kimberly A; Brown, Elena V Donoso

    2018-01-01

    [Purpose] Measurement of posture is important for those with a clinical diagnosis as well as researchers aiming to understand the impact of faulty postures on the development of musculoskeletal disorders. A reliable, cost-effective and low tech posture measure may be beneficial for research and clinical applications. The purpose of this study was to determine rater reliability and construct validity of a posture screening mobile application in healthy young adults. [Subjects and Methods] Pictures of subjects were taken in three standing positions. Two raters independently digitized the static standing posture image twice. The app calculated posture variables, including sagittal and coronal plane translations and angulations. Intra- and inter-rater reliability were calculated using the appropriate ICC models for complete agreement. Construct validity was determined through comparison of known groups using repeated measures ANOVA. [Results] Intra-rater reliability ranged from 0.71 to 0.99. Inter-rater reliability was good to excellent for all translations. ICCs were stronger for translations versus angulations. The construct validity analysis found that the app was able to detect the change in the four variables selected. [Conclusion] The posture mobile application has demonstrated strong rater reliability and preliminary evidence of construct validity. This application may have utility in clinical and research settings.

  18. Effects of posture on postoperative pulmonary function

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, K G; Holte, Kathrine; Kehlet, H

    2003-01-01

    effect on postoperative pulmonary function in the sitting or standing position compared with the supine. Thus, avoidance of the supine position may improve postoperative pulmonary function. Three of six studies showed a positive effect on postoperative pulmonary function of the lateral side compared......BACKGROUND: Pulmonary morbidity is still a relevant complication to major surgery despite improvements in surgical technique and anaesthetic methods. Postoperative posture may be a pathogenic factor, but the effects of changes in postoperative posture on pulmonary function have not been reviewed...... with the supine. Thus, the lateral position has limited effects on pulmonary function. CONCLUSION: Changes of postoperative position from supine to sitting or standing are of major importance in the interpretation of postoperative pulmonary outcome studies and in future strategies to improve pulmonary outcome....

  19. Screening initial entry training trainees for postural faults and low back or hip pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lane, John R

    2014-01-01

    The frequency of postural faults and postural awareness in military trainees has not been assessed. Five hundred Soldiers entering Advanced Individual Training were screened for standing posture and completed an anonymous questionnaire during inprocessing. Postural faults were identified in 202 subjects. Chi square analysis demonstrated a relationship between posture observed and posture reported: 87% of subjects with postural faults were unaware of postural faults; 12% with proper posture reported having poor posture. Subjects reported comparable frequencies of back pain and hip pain with postural faults (33.2%, 21.2%) and without faults (28.5%, 14.7%). Anonymous reporting was higher than formal reporting and requests for care during the same period (37% vs 3.4%).

  20. Postural steadiness and ankle force variability in peripheral neuropathy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paxton, Roger J.; Feldman-Kothe, Caitlin; Trabert, Megan K.; Hitchcock, Leah N.; Reiser, Raoul F.; Tracy, Brian L.

    2015-01-01

    Introduction The purpose was to determine the effect of peripheral neuropathy (PN) on motor output variability for ankle muscles of older adults, and the relation between ankle motor variability and postural stability in PN patients. Methods Older adults with (O-PN) and without PN (O), and young adults (Y) underwent assessment of standing postural stability and ankle muscle force steadiness. Results O-PN displayed impaired ankle muscle force control and postural stability compared with O and Y groups. For O-PN, the amplitude of plantarflexor force fluctuations was moderately correlated with postural stability under no-vision conditions (r = 0.54, P = 0.01). Discussion The correlation of variations in ankle force with postural stability in PN suggests a contribution of ankle muscle dyscontrol to the postural instability that impacts physical function for older adults with PN. PMID:26284897

  1. Postural Stability Margins as a Function of Support Surface Slopes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutt-Mazumder, Aviroop; Slobounov, Seymon M; Challis, John Henry; Newell, Karl Maxim

    2016-01-01

    This investigation examined the effects of slope of the surface of support (35°, 30°, 20°, 10° Facing(Toe) Down, 0° Flat and 10°, 20°, 25° Facing (Toe) Up) and postural orientation on the margins of postural stability in quiet standing of young adults. The findings showed that the center of pressure-CoP (displacement, area and length) had least motion at the baseline (0° Flat) platform condition that progressively increased as a function of platform angle in both facing up and down directions. The virtual time to collision (VTC) dynamics revealed that the spatio-temporal margins to the functional stability boundary were progressively smaller and the VTC time series also more regular (SampEn-Sample Entropy) as slope angle increased. Surface slope induces a restricted stability region with lower dimension VTC dynamics that is more constrained when postural orientation is facing down the slope. These findings provide further evidence that VTC acts as a control variable in standing posture that is influenced by the emergent dynamics of the individual-environment-task interaction.

  2. Effect of forward/backward standing posture on foot shape

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Daanen, H.A.M.; Tan, T.K.; Punte, P.A.J.

    2000-01-01

    Foot length and breadth are generally used to determine the correct shoe size. An important question is whether foot length and foot breadth are dependent upon body posture. Therefore, the effect of leaning forward/backward on foot length and breadth is investigated in this study. Seven subjects

  3. Predicting Factors of Worker Behavior for Proper Working Posture Based on Planed Behavior Theory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E Mohammadi Zeydi

    2008-12-01

    Introduction & Objective: Injuries resulting from ignoring proper working posture especially in employees who sitting at workplace for more than of working hours are costly, and create significant pain and discomfort. Decreasing of these injuries is most effectively accomplished through the application of ergonomic design principles. Sometimes, however, barriers (technical and economic preclude ergonomic improvement and, consequently, some organizations rely on the use of proper sitting techniques and maintaining proper working posture as a major control strategy during workday. The problem, however, is that these process performing is inconsistent and managers have a difficult time motivating use of these techniques. The main aim of this study was to understand the factors driving proper working posture among employees. Materials & Methods: This study used the theory of planned behavior to predict upright working posture maintenance among 222 of assembling, machinery and printing line’s employees at a Qazvin Alborz industrial town manufacturing organization. Structural equation modeling, explanatory and confirmatory factor analysis were employed to analyze relationships among constructs. Results: Results revealed that attitude (p< 0.05, β= 0.53 and intention (p< 0.05, β= 0.46 were the strongest predictors of proper working posture maintenance behavior. Perceived behavior control, to a lesser degree, were also important influences on intention (p< 0.05, β= 0.34 and behavior (p< 0.05, β= 0.28. Subjective norms did not surface as effective direct predictors of upright working posture maintenance, but did affect behavior and intent via mediating factors (attitudes subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Finally, the TPB was supported as an effective model explaining upright working posture maintenance, and had potential application for many other safety-related behaviors. Conclusion: results of this study emphasis on considering factors such as

  4. A model-based approach to stabilizing crutch supported paraplegic standing by artificial hip joint stiffness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Spek, Jaap H; Veltink, Peter H; Hermens, Hermie J; Koopman, Bart F J M; Boom, Herman B K

    2003-12-01

    The prerequisites for stable crutch supported standing were analyzed in this paper. For this purpose, a biomechanical model of crutch supported paraplegic stance was developed assuming the patient was standing with extended knees. When using crutches during stance, the crutches will put a position constraint on the shoulder, thus reducing the number of degrees of freedom. Additional hip-joint stiffness was applied to stabilize the hip joint and, therefore, to stabilize stance. The required hip-joint stiffness for changing crutch placement and hip-joint offset angle was studied under static and dynamic conditions. Modeling results indicate that, by using additional hip-joint stiffness, stable crutch supported paraplegic standing can be achieved, both under static as well as dynamic situations. The static equilibrium postures and the stability under perturbations were calculated to be dependent on crutch placement and stiffness applied. However, postures in which the hip joint was in extension (C postures) appeared to the most stable postures. Applying at least 60 N x m/rad hip-joint stiffness gave stable equilibrium postures in all cases. Choosing appropriate hip-joint offset angles, the static equilibrium postures changed to more erect postures, without causing instability or excessive arm forces to occur.

  5. Using a stand-level model to predict light absorption in stands with vertically and horizontally heterogeneous canopies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David I Forrester

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Background Forest ecosystem functioning is strongly influenced by the absorption of photosynthetically active radiation (APAR, and therefore, accurate predictions of APAR are critical for many process-based forest growth models. The Lambert-Beer law can be applied to estimate APAR for simple homogeneous canopies composed of one layer, one species, and no canopy gaps. However, the vertical and horizontal structure of forest canopies is rarely homogeneous. Detailed tree-level models can account for this heterogeneity but these often have high input and computational demands and work on finer temporal and spatial resolutions than required by stand-level growth models. The aim of this study was to test a stand-level light absorption model that can estimate APAR by individual species in mixed-species and multi-layered stands with any degree of canopy openness including open-grown trees to closed canopies. Methods The stand-level model was compared with a detailed tree-level model that has already been tested in mixed-species stands using empirical data. Both models were parameterised for five different forests, including a wide range of species compositions, species proportions, stand densities, crown architectures and canopy structures. Results The stand-level model performed well in all stands except in the stand where extinction coefficients were unusually variable and it appears unlikely that APAR could be predicted in such stands using (tree- or stand-level models that do not allow individuals of a given species to have different extinction coefficients, leaf-area density or analogous parameters. Conclusion This model is parameterised with species-specific information about extinction coefficients and mean crown length, diameter, height and leaf area. It could be used to examine light dynamics in complex canopies and in stand-level growth models.

  6. Effect of Sitting Pause Times on Balance After Supine to Standing Transfer in Dim Light.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Eric G; Albalwi, Abdulaziz A; Al-Dabbak, Fuad M; Daher, Noha S

    2017-06-01

    The risk of falling for older adults increases in dimly lit environments. Longer sitting pause times, before getting out of bed and standing during the night, may improve postural stability. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of sitting pause times on postural sway velocity immediately after a supine to standing transfer in a dimly lit room in older adult women. Eighteen healthy women aged 65 to 75 years who were able to independently perform supine to standing transfers participated in the study. On each of 2 consecutive days, participants assumed the supine position on a mat table and closed their eyes for 45 minutes. Then, participants were instructed to open their eyes and transfer from supine to sitting, with either 2- or 30-second pause in the sitting position followed by standing. The sitting pause time order was randomized. A significant difference was observed in postural sway velocity between the 2- and 30-second sitting pause times. The results revealed that there was less postural sway velocity after 30-second than 2-second sitting pause time (0.61 ± 0.19 vs 1.22 ± 0.68, P Falls related to bathroom usage at night are the most common reported falls among older adults. In the present study, the investigators studied the effect of sitting pause times on postural sway velocity after changing position from supine to standing in a dimly lit environment. The findings showed that the mean postural sway velocity was significantly less after 30-second sitting pause time compared with 2-second sitting pause time. Postural sway velocity decreased when participants performed a sitting pause of 30 seconds before standing in a dimly lit environment. These results suggest that longer sitting pause times may improve adaptability to dimly lit environments, contributing to improved postural stability and reduced risk of fall in older adult women when getting out of bed at night.

  7. Postural Control in Workplace Safety: Role of Occupational Footwear and Workload

    OpenAIRE

    Harish Chander; John C. Garner; Chip Wade; Adam C. Knight

    2017-01-01

    Maintaining postural stability is crucial, especially in hazardous occupational environments. The purpose of the study was to assess the role of three occupational footwear (low top shoe (LT); tactical work boot (TB) and steel-toed work boot (WB)) on postural stability when exposed to an occupational workload (4-h) involving standing/walking using the sensory organization test (SOT) equilibrium (EQ) scores and comparing current results with previously published postural sway variables from th...

  8. Longitudinal and postural changes of blood pressure predict dementia: the Malmö Preventive Project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holm, Hannes; Nägga, Katarina; Nilsson, Erik D; Melander, Olle; Minthon, Lennart; Bachus, Erasmus; Fedorowski, Artur; Magnusson, Martin

    2017-04-01

    The role of blood pressure (BP) changes in dementia is debatable. We aimed to analyse how resting and postural BP changes relate to incident dementia over a long-term follow-up. In the prospective population-based Malmö Preventive Project, 18,240 study participants (mean age: 45 ± 7 years, 63% male) were examined between 1974 and 1992 with resting and standing BP measurement, and re-examined between 2002 and 2006 at mean age of 68 ± 6 years with resting BP. A total of 428 participants (2.3%) were diagnosed with dementia through Dec 31, 2009. The association of resting and postural BP changes with risk of dementia was studied using multivariable-adjusted Cox regression models controlling for traditional risk factors. Diastolic BP (DBP) decrease on standing indicated higher risk of dementia [Hazard ratio (HR) per 10 mmHg: 1.22; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.44, p = 0.036], which was mainly driven by increased risk in normotensive individuals. Higher systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP at re-examination was associated with lower risk of dementia (HR per 10 mmHg: 0.94; 95% CI 0.89-0.99, p = 0.011; and 0.87; 0.78-0.96, p = 0.006, respectively). Extreme decrease in SBP/DBP between baseline and re-examination (4th quartile; -7 ± 12/-15 ± 7 mmHg, respectively) indicated higher risk of dementia (HR 1.46; 95% CI 1.11-1.93, p = 0.008, and 1.54; 95% CI 1.14-2.08, p = 0.005; respectively) compared with reference group characterised by pronounced BP increase over the same period (1st quartile; +44 ± 13/+15 ± 7 mmHg). Diastolic BP decrease on standing in the middle age, decline in BP between middle-and advanced age, and lower BP in advanced age are independent risk factors of developing dementia.

  9. Gait and posture discrimination in sheep using a tri-axial accelerometer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radeski, M; Ilieski, V

    2017-07-01

    Temporo-spatial observation of the leg could provide important information about the general condition of an animal, especially for those such as sheep and other free-ranging farm animals that can be difficult to access. Tri-axial accelerometers are capable of collecting vast amounts of data for locomotion and posture observations; however, interpretation and optimization of these data records remain a challenge. The aim of the present study was to introduce an optimized method for gait (walking, trotting and galloping) and posture (standing and lying) discrimination, using the acceleration values recorded by a tri-axial accelerometer mounted on the hind leg of sheep. The acceleration values recorded on the vertical and horizontal axes, as well as the total acceleration values were categorized. The relative frequencies of the acceleration categories (RFACs) were calculated in 3-s epochs. Reliable RFACs for gait and posture discrimination were identified with discriminant function and canonical analyses. Post hoc predictions for the two axes and total acceleration were conducted, using classification functions and classification scores for each epoch. Mahalanobis distances were used to determine the level of accuracy of the method. The highest discriminatory power for gait discrimination yielded four RFACs on the vertical axis, and five RFACs each on the horizontal axis and total acceleration vector. Classification functions showed the highest accuracy for walking and galloping. The highest total accuracy on the vertical and horizontal axes were 90% and 91%, respectively. Regarding posture discrimination, the vertical axis exhibited the highest discriminatory power, with values of RFAC (0, 1]=99.95% for standing; and RFAC (-1, 0]=99.50% for lying. The horizontal axis showed strong discrimination for the lying side of the animal, as values were in the acceleration category of (0, 1] for lying on the left side and (-1, 0] on the right side. The algorithm developed by

  10. Barnacle geese achieve significant energetic savings by changing posture.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter G Tickle

    Full Text Available Here we report the resting metabolic rate in barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis and provide evidence for the significant energetic effect of posture. Under laboratory conditions flow-through respirometry together with synchronous recording of behaviour enabled a calculation of how metabolic rate varies with posture. Our principal finding is that standing bipedally incurs a 25% increase in metabolic rate compared to birds sitting on the ground. In addition to the expected decrease in energy consumption of hindlimb postural muscles when sitting, we hypothesise that a change in breathing mechanics represents one potential mechanism for at least part of the observed difference in energetic cost. Due to the significant effect of posture, future studies of resting metabolic rates need to take into account and/or report differences in posture.

  11. Mobile Phone Use Behaviors and Postures on Public Transportation Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Huey-Wen; Hwang, Yaw-Huei

    2016-01-01

    Mobile phones are common in our daily life, but the users' preferences for postures or screen operating styles have not been studied. This was a cross-sectional and observational study. We randomly sampled passengers who used mobile phones on the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system in metropolitan Taipei. A checklist was used to observe their body postures and screen operating styles while sitting or standing. As a result, 1,230 subjects from 400 trips were observed. Overall, of all the passengers who were sitting, 41% of them were using mobile phones. The majority of the tasks involved browsing (84%) with their phones in a portrait orientation (93%). Different-hand holding/operating was the most commonly used operating style while sitting (46%) and same-hand holding/operating was the most common while standing (46%). The distribution of screen operating styles was significantly different for those sitting than for those standing and for different genders and age groups. The most frequently observed postures while sitting were having one's trunk against a backrest, feet on the floor and with or without an arm supported (58%). As for the users who were standing, the both- and different-hands groups had a high proportion of arms unsupported, feet on the floor and either their trunk supported or not. In contrast, the same-hand group tended to have their trunk unsupported, were holding a pole or handstrap and had both feet on floor. Further studies are warranted to characterize the ergonomic exposure of these commonly used postures and operating styles, and our results will help guide the selection of experimental conditions for laboratory settings.

  12. The effects of anxiety and external attentional focus on postural control in patients with Parkinson's disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jazaeri, Seyede Zohreh; Azad, Akram; Mehdizadeh, Hajar; Habibi, Seyed Amirhassan; Mandehgary Najafabadi, Mahbubeh; Saberi, Zakieh Sadat; Rahimzadegan, Hawre; Moradi, Saeed; Behzadipour, Saeed; Parnianpour, Mohamad; Khalaf, Kinda

    2018-01-01

    Background Although anxiety is a common non-motor outcome of Parkinson's disease (PD) affecting 40% of patients, little attention has been paid so far to its effects on balance impairment and postural control. Improvement of postural control through focusing on the environment (i.e. external focus) has been reported, but the role of anxiety, as a confounding variable, remains unclear. Objectives This study aimed to investigate the influence of anxiety and attentional focus instruction on the standing postural control of PD patients. Methods Thirty-four patients with PD (17 with high anxiety (HA-PD) and 17 with low anxiety (LA-PD)), as well as 17 gender- and age-matched healthy control subjects (HC) participated in the study. Postural control was evaluated using a combination of two levels of postural difficulty (standing on a rigid force plate surface with open eyes (RO) and standing on a foam surface with open eyes (FO)), as well as three attentional focus instructions (internal, external and no focus). Results Only the HA-PD group demonstrated significant postural control impairment as compared to the control, as indicated by significantly greater postural sway measures. Moreover, external focus significantly reduced postural sway in all participants especially during the FO condition. Conclusion The results of the current study provide evidence that anxiety influences balance control and postural stability in patients with PD, particularly those with high levels of anxiety. The results also confirmed that external focus is a potential strategy that significantly improves the postural control of these patients. Further investigation of clinical applicability is warranted towards developing effective therapeutic and rehabilitative treatment plans. PMID:29390029

  13. Effects of external loads on postural sway during quiet stance in adults aged 20-80 years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, M W; Duncan, M J; Oxford, S W; Kay, A D; Price, M J

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of holding external loads on postural sway during upright stance across age decades. Sixty-five healthy adults (females, n = 35), aged 18-80 years were assessed in four conditions; (1) standing without holding a load, holding a load corresponding to 5% body mass in the (2) left hand, (3) right hand and (4) both hands. The centre of pressure (COP) path length and anteroposterior and mediolateral COP displacement were used to indirectly assess postural sway. External loading elicited reductions in COP measures of postural sway in older age groups only (P  0.05). Holding external loads during standing is relevant to many activities of daily living (i.e. holding groceries). The reduction in postural sway may suggest this type of loading has a stabilising effect during quiet standing among older adults. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Stand diameter distribution modelling and prediction based on Richards function.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ai-guo Duan

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to introduce application of the Richards equation on modelling and prediction of stand diameter distribution. The long-term repeated measurement data sets, consisted of 309 diameter frequency distributions from Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata plantations in the southern China, were used. Also, 150 stands were used as fitting data, the other 159 stands were used for testing. Nonlinear regression method (NRM or maximum likelihood estimates method (MLEM were applied to estimate the parameters of models, and the parameter prediction method (PPM and parameter recovery method (PRM were used to predict the diameter distributions of unknown stands. Four main conclusions were obtained: (1 R distribution presented a more accurate simulation than three-parametric Weibull function; (2 the parameters p, q and r of R distribution proved to be its scale, location and shape parameters, and have a deep relationship with stand characteristics, which means the parameters of R distribution have good theoretical interpretation; (3 the ordinate of inflection point of R distribution has significant relativity with its skewness and kurtosis, and the fitted main distribution range for the cumulative diameter distribution of Chinese fir plantations was 0.4∼0.6; (4 the goodness-of-fit test showed diameter distributions of unknown stands can be well estimated by applying R distribution based on PRM or the combination of PPM and PRM under the condition that only quadratic mean DBH or plus stand age are known, and the non-rejection rates were near 80%, which are higher than the 72.33% non-rejection rate of three-parametric Weibull function based on the combination of PPM and PRM.

  15. CALF BLOOD-FLOW AND POSTURE - DOPPLER ULTRASOUND MEASUREMENTS DURING AND AFTER EXERCISE

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    VANLEEUWEN, BE; BARENDSEN, GJ; LUBBERS, J; DEPATER, L

    To investigate the joint effects of body posture and calf muscle pump, the calf blood flow of eight healthy volunteers was measured with pulsed Doppler equipment during and after 3 min of rhythmic exercise on a calf ergometer in the supine, sitting, and standing postures. Muscle contractions

  16. Effects of posture on postoperative pulmonary function

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, K G; Holte, Kathrine; Kehlet, H

    2003-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Pulmonary morbidity is still a relevant complication to major surgery despite improvements in surgical technique and anaesthetic methods. Postoperative posture may be a pathogenic factor, but the effects of changes in postoperative posture on pulmonary function have not been reviewed....... METHODS: Review of controlled, clinical trials evaluating postoperative pulmonary function in patients positioned in the supine vs. the sitting or standing position and patients positioned in the supine vs. the lateral position. Data were obtained from a search in the Medline and Cochrane databases (1966...

  17. Postural stability in young and old women

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Martin Grønbech

    at an early stage, good knowledge and sensitive measurements of postural stability are essential. In addition, in order to develop effective intervention strategies such knowledge is of major importance. However, no single postural stability parameter has effectively been able to identify individuals at risk...... of falling. Hence, there is a strong need for development and identification of sensitive postural sway parameters in various demographic groups. The aim of this study was to explore differences in postural stability between physically active old (O) and young (Y) women using newly developed sway parameters....... METHODS AND MATERIALS: Center of pressure (CoP) excursion was measured (100 Hz) by force plate (AMTI) analysis in old (72.5±6.3 years) and young (25.8±1.6 years) women during static 2-leg (bilateral) and 1-leg (unilateral) standing (15-s) with eyes opened. RESULTS: O demonstrated elevated CoP sway length...

  18. Postural Stability Margins as a Function of Support Surface Slopes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aviroop Dutt-Mazumder

    Full Text Available This investigation examined the effects of slope of the surface of support (35°, 30°, 20°, 10° Facing(Toe Down, 0° Flat and 10°, 20°, 25° Facing (Toe Up and postural orientation on the margins of postural stability in quiet standing of young adults. The findings showed that the center of pressure-CoP (displacement, area and length had least motion at the baseline (0° Flat platform condition that progressively increased as a function of platform angle in both facing up and down directions. The virtual time to collision (VTC dynamics revealed that the spatio-temporal margins to the functional stability boundary were progressively smaller and the VTC time series also more regular (SampEn-Sample Entropy as slope angle increased. Surface slope induces a restricted stability region with lower dimension VTC dynamics that is more constrained when postural orientation is facing down the slope. These findings provide further evidence that VTC acts as a control variable in standing posture that is influenced by the emergent dynamics of the individual-environment-task interaction.

  19. Cognitive tasks promote automatization of postural control in young and older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Potvin-Desrochers, Alexandra; Richer, Natalie; Lajoie, Yves

    2017-09-01

    Researchers looking at the effects of performing a concurrent cognitive task on postural control in young and older adults using traditional center-of-pressure measures and complexity measures found discordant results. Results of experiments showing improvements of stability have suggested the use of strategies such as automatization of postural control or stiffening strategy. This experiment aimed to confirm in healthy young and older adults that performing a cognitive task while standing leads to improvements that are due to automaticity of sway by using sample entropy. Twenty-one young adults and twenty-five older adults were asked to stand on a force platform while performing a cognitive task. There were four cognitive tasks: simple reaction time, go/no-go reaction time, equation and occurrence of a digit in a number sequence. Results demonstrated decreased sway area and variability as well as increased sample entropy for both groups when performing a cognitive task. Results suggest that performing a concurrent cognitive task promotes the adoption of an automatic postural control in young and older adults as evidenced by an increased postural stability and postural sway complexity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Catecholamine responses to changes in posture during human pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whittaker, P G; Gerrard, J; Lind, T

    1985-06-01

    Human pregnancy may induce changes in the sensitivity of the cardiovascular system to endogenous catecholamines. This was investigated in multigravid women with little likelihood of unsuspected vascular disease. The responses of blood pressure, pulse rate, plasma noradrenaline and adrenaline to a change in posture from semi-recumbency to standing were assessed in six normotensive women at 36 weeks gestation and in six non-pregnant control subjects. Standing for 10 min caused a surge in blood pressure, pulse rate and plasma noradrenaline in non-pregnant women. The pregnant women, whose basal levels of noradrenaline were higher than those in non-pregnant women, showed a slower noradrenergic response to postural change, and this response had less effect upon the cardiovascular indices. Blood pressure dropped immediately on standing and pulse rate remained unaffected throughout. It is suggested that some women may maintain a non-pregnant level of pressor sensitivity during pregnancy and thereby become hypertensive.

  1. Posture as index for approach-avoidance behavior

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eerland, A.; Guadalupe, Tulio; Franken, Ingmar; Zwaan, Rolf

    2012-01-01

    Approach and avoidance are two behavioral responses that make people tend to approach positive and avoid negative situations. This study examines whether postural behavior is influenced by the affective state of pictures. While standing on the Wii™ Balance Board, participants viewed pleasant,

  2. Posture as index for Approach-Avoidance behavior

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A. Eerland (Anita); T. Guadalupe (Tulio); I.H.A. Franken (Ingmar); R.A. Zwaan (Rolf)

    2012-01-01

    textabstractApproach and avoidance are two behavioral responses that make people tend to approach positive and avoid negative situations. This study examines whether postural behavior is influenced by the affective state of pictures. While standing on the Wii™ Balance Board, participants viewed

  3. Barnacle Geese Achieve Significant Energetic Savings by Changing Posture

    OpenAIRE

    Tickle, Peter G.; Nudds, Robert L.; Codd, Jonathan R.

    2012-01-01

    Here we report the resting metabolic rate in barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) and provide evidence for the significant energetic effect of posture. Under laboratory conditions flow-through respirometry together with synchronous recording of behaviour enabled a calculation of how metabolic rate varies with posture. Our principal finding is that standing bipedally incurs a 25% increase in metabolic rate compared to birds sitting on the ground. In addition to the expected decrease in energy con...

  4. Cardiovascular function in pregnancy: effects of posture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Del Bene, R; Barletta, G; Mello, G; Lazzeri, C; Mecacci, F; Parretti, E; Martini, E; Vecchiarino, S; Franchi, F; La Villa, G

    2001-04-01

    To evaluate the cardiovascular response to active postural changes in pregnancy. Prospective study. Outpatient Clinic, Fetal Maternity Unit. Sixteen healthy women referred prior to pregnancy. Heart rate, arterial pressure, echocardiographic end-diastolic and end-systolic left ventricular volumes (Teichholz' s formula) were measured in the three months before pregnancy, at the end of the first and second trimester, at mid third trimester, and six months after delivery in the supine and standing position, in thirteen women (mean age 33, range 25-38 years). Cardiac output (supine position) significantly increased (28%): it reached its maximum at the second trimester, remained steadily elevated in the mid third trimester, and returned to baseline after delivery. Cardiac output increased during pregnancy also in the active orthostatic position, the percentage increase being greater (70%) since the standing pre-conception value was lower. The postural stress induced similar changes in heart rate, arterial pressure and left ventricular ejection fraction before, during and after pregnancy. However, the reduction in cardiac output associated with early standing attenuated significantly at the second trimester and it was absent at mid third trimester (F = 3.13, P = 0.021). This was due to the interplay between the significantly lesser increase in systemic vascular resistance, occurring since the first trimester, and the significantly lesser decrease in left ventricular end-diastolic volume which was observed in the mid third trimester. These data indicate that the elevated cardiac output is adequately maintained in pregnancy during the postural challenge, due to optimisation of the responses of preload and afterload.

  5. An analysis of posture and back pain in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franklin, M E; Conner-Kerr, T

    1998-09-01

    While the incidence of back pain during pregnancy has been shown to be high, few studies have investigated postural changes that occur during pregnancy and their relationship to back pain. The purpose of this study was to determine if posture and back pain changed from the first to the third trimester of pregnancy and whether there was a relationship between the two. Twelve healthy women who were having uncomplicated pregnancies participated in the study. During the first and third trimesters, each subject had their standing posture and back pain assessed by a Metrecom Skeletal Analysis System and a 0- to 10-cm line pain scale, respectively. Repeated measures analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated on or between back pain and nine posture variables and revealed significant increases in third trimester back pain and postures compared with first trimester back pain (p postures for lumbar angle (p change in posture and back pain. These results suggest that in the standing position the lumbar lordosis and sagittal pelvic tilt increased and head position become more posterior as women progressed from the first trimester to the last trimester of pregnancy. These postural changes, however, were not related to back pain. This suggests that many of the posture-correcting clinical exercise regimens given to pregnant women need to be investigated.

  6. Measurement of hemodynamics during postural changes using a new wearable cephalic laser blood flowmeter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujikawa, Tetsuya; Tochikubo, Osamu; Kura, Naoki; Kiyokura, Takanori; Shimada, Junichi; Umemura, Satoshi

    2009-10-01

    Patients with orthostatic hypotension have pathologic hemodynamics related to changes in body posture. A new cephalic laser blood flowmeter that can be worn on the tragus to investigate the hemodynamics upon rising from a sitting or squatting posture was developed. The relationship between cephalic hemodynamics and cerebral ischemic symptoms in 63 subjects in a sitting, squatting, and standing positions using the new device was evaluated. Transient decrease in blood pressure within 15 s after rising to an erect position possibly causes dizziness, syncope, and fall. Subjects exhibiting dizziness upon standing showed a significant decrease in the cephalic blood flow (CBF) and indirect beat-to-beat systolic blood pressure, as monitored by the Finometer, and a significant correlation was observed between the drop ratio (drop value on rising/mean value in the squatting position) of CBF and that of systolic blood pressure. This new wearable CBF-meter is potentially useful for estimating cephalic hemodynamics and objectively diagnosing cerebral ischemic symptoms of subjects in a standing posture.

  7. Step Prediction During Perturbed Standing Using Center Of Pressure Measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milos R. Popovic

    2007-04-01

    Full Text Available The development of a sensor that can measure balance during quiet standing and predict stepping response in the event of perturbation has many clinically relevant applica- tions, including closed-loop control of a neuroprothesis for standing. This study investigated the feasibility of an algorithm that can predict in real-time when an able-bodied individual who is quietly standing will have to make a step to compensate for an external perturbation. Anterior and posterior perturbations were performed on 16 able-bodied subjects using a pul- ley system with a dropped weight. A linear relationship was found between the peak center of pressure (COP velocity and the peak COP displacement caused by the perturbation. This result suggests that one can predict when a person will have to make a step based on COP velocity measurements alone. Another important feature of this finding is that the peak COP velocity occurs considerably before the peak COP displacement. As a result, one can predict if a subject will have to make a step in response to a perturbation sufficiently ahead of the time when the subject is actually forced to make the step. The proposed instability detection algorithm will be implemented in a sensor system using insole sheets in shoes with minitur- ized pressure sensors by which the COPv can be continuously measured. The sensor system will be integrated in a closed-loop feedback system with a neuroprosthesis for standing in the near future.

  8. Robust balance shift control with posture optimization

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kavafoglu, Z.; Kavafoglu, Ersan; Egges, J.

    2015-01-01

    In this paper we present a control framework which creates robust and natural balance shifting behaviours during standing. Given high-level features such as the position of the center of mass projection and the foot configurations, a kinematic posture satisfying these features is synthesized using

  9. Standing working posture compared in pregnant and non-pregnant conditions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Paul, J. A.; Frings-Dresen, M. H.

    1994-01-01

    During pregnancy, an increase in body weight occurs together with changes in body weight distribution and in fit between body dimensions and workplace layout. These changes may cause alterations in working posture which may, in turn, have adverse consequences for the biomechanical load on the

  10. Associations between Tactile Sensory Threshold and Postural Performance and Effects of Healthy Aging and Subthreshold Vibrotactile Stimulation on Postural Outcomes in a Simple Dual Task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dettmer, Marius; Pourmoghaddam, Amir; Lee, Beom-Chan; Layne, Charles S

    2016-01-01

    Specific activities that require concurrent processing of postural and cognitive tasks may increase the risk for falls in older adults. We investigated whether peripheral receptor sensitivity was associated with postural performance in a dual-task and whether an intervention in form of subthreshold vibration could affect performance. Ten younger (age: 20-35 years) and ten older adults (70-85 years) performed repeated auditory-verbal 1-back tasks while standing quietly on a force platform. Foot sole vibration was randomly added during several trials. Several postural control and performance measures were assessed and statistically analyzed (significance set to α-levels of .05). There were moderate correlations between peripheral sensitivity and several postural performance and control measures (r = .45 to .59). Several postural performance measures differed significantly between older and younger adults (p stimulation should focus on older adults whose balance is significantly affected.

  11. Effect of two Notebook stands on work posture and productivity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Könemann, R.; Kuijt-Evers, L.F.M.; Lingen, P. van; Sauvage, S.; Hallbeck, S.

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of using a notebook stand on the physical load when working with a notebook in a home environment. Sixteen subjects evaluated working with a notebook by performing three different tasks using two notebook stands and without using a notebook stand.

  12. Pilates improves lower limbs strength and postural control during quite standing in a child with hemiparetic cerebral palsy: A case report study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dos Santos, Adriana Neves; Serikawa, Simoni Sayuri; Rocha, Nelci Adriana Cicuto Ferreira

    2016-08-01

    To verify the effect of Pilates exercises in a child with cerebral palsy (CP) with mild functional impairment. We evaluated average peak torque of ankle and knee extensors/flexors using a Biodex System, using concentric active-assisted test. We also evaluated amplitude of anterior-posterior and of medial-lateral displacement of the CoP and area of oscillation during quite standing with a BERTEC platform. We applied Pilates exercises for eight weeks. Peak torque/body weight of ankle and knee extensors/flexors of both affected and unaffected limbs increased after Pilates. Also, all kinetic variables decreased after Pilates' intervention. After one-month follow-up, isokinetic variable values were higher while kinetic variable values were lower than baseline values. Pilates may be an important rehabilitation technique for children with CP that present mild deficits in motor structures and high functional level, especially when the aims are to improve muscle strength and postural control during quite standing.

  13. Tai Chi training reduced coupling between respiration and postural control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmes, Matthew L; Manor, Brad; Hsieh, Wan-hsin; Hu, Kun; Lipsitz, Lewis A; Li, Li

    2016-01-01

    In order to maintain stable upright stance, the postural control system must account for the continuous perturbations to the body's center-of-mass including those caused by spontaneous respiration. Both aging and disease increase "posturo-respiratory synchronization;" which reflects the degree to which respiration affects postural sway fluctuations over time. Tai Chi training emphasizes the coordination of respiration and bodily movements and may therefore optimize the functional interaction between these two systems. The purpose of the project was to examine the effect of Tai Chi training on the interaction between respiration and postural control in older adults. We hypothesized that Tai Chi training would improve the ability of the postural control system to compensate for respiratory perturbations and thus, reduce posturo-respiratory synchronization. Participants were recruited from supportive housing facilities and randomized to a 12-week Tai Chi intervention (n=28; 86 ± 5 yrs) or educational-control program (n=34, 85 ± 6 yrs). Standing postural sway and respiration were simultaneously recorded with a force plate and respiratory belt under eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. Posturo-respiratory synchronization was determined by quantifying the variation of the phase relationship between the dominant oscillatory mode of respiration and corresponding oscillations within postural sway. Groups were similar in age, gender distribution, height, body mass, and intervention compliance. Neither intervention altered average sway speed, sway magnitude or respiratory rate. As compared to the education-control group, however, Tai Chi training reduced posturo-respiratory synchronization when standing with eyes open or closed (ppostural control or respiration, yet reduced the coupling between respiration and postural control. The beneficial effects of Tai Chi training may therefore stem in part from optimization of this multi-system interaction. Copyright © 2015

  14. Variation in posture quality across musical instruments and its impact during performances.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanco-Piñeiro, Patricia; Díaz-Pereira, M Pino; Martínez Vidal, Aurora

    2018-06-01

    Bad posture increases the risk that a musician may suffer from musculoskeletal disorders. This study compared posture quality required by different instruments or families of instruments. Using an ad-hoc postural observation instrument embracing 11 postural variables, four experts evaluated the postures of 100 students attending a Spanish higher conservatory of music. The agreement of the experts' evaluations was statistically confirmed by a Cohen's κ value between 0.855 and 1.000 and a Kendall value between 0.709 and 1.000 (p instrument families and seated posture with respect to pelvic attitude, dorsal curvature and head alignment in both sagittal and frontal planes. This analysis also showed an association between instrument families and standing posture with respect to the frontal plane of the axis of gravity, pelvic attitude, head alignment in the frontal plane, the sagittal plane of the shoulders and overall posture. While certain postural defects appear to be common to all families of instruments, others are more characteristic of some families than others. The instrument associated with the best posture quality was the bagpipe, followed by percussion and strings.

  15. Intermittent use of an "anchor system" improves postural control in healthy older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freitas, Milena de Bem Zavanella; Mauerberg-deCastro, Eliane; Moraes, Renato

    2013-07-01

    Haptic information, provided by a non-rigid tool (i.e., an "anchor system"), can reduce body sway in individuals who perform a standing postural task. However, it was not known whether or not continuous use of the anchor system would improve postural control after its removal. Additionally, it was unclear as to whether or not frequency of use of the anchor system is related to improved control in older adults. The present study evaluated the effect of the prolonged use of the anchor system on postural control in healthy older individuals, at different frequencies of use, while they performed a postural control task (semi-tandem position). Participants were divided into three groups according to the frequency of the anchor system's use (0%, 50%, and 100%). Pre-practice phase (without anchor) was followed by a practice phase (they used the anchor system at the predefined frequency), and a post-practice phase (immediate and late-without anchor). All three groups showed a persistent effect 15min after the end of the practice phase (immediate post-practice phase). However, only the 50% group showed a persistent effect in the late post-practice phase (24h after finishing the practice phase). Older adults can improve their postural control by practicing the standing postural task, and use of the anchor system limited to half of their practice time can provide additional improvement in their postural control. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Invariant density analysis: modeling and analysis of the postural control system using Markov chains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hur, Pilwon; Shorter, K Alex; Mehta, Prashant G; Hsiao-Wecksler, Elizabeth T

    2012-04-01

    In this paper, a novel analysis technique, invariant density analysis (IDA), is introduced. IDA quantifies steady-state behavior of the postural control system using center of pressure (COP) data collected during quiet standing. IDA relies on the analysis of a reduced-order finite Markov model to characterize stochastic behavior observed during postural sway. Five IDA parameters characterize the model and offer physiological insight into the long-term dynamical behavior of the postural control system. Two studies were performed to demonstrate the efficacy of IDA. Study 1 showed that multiple short trials can be concatenated to create a dataset suitable for IDA. Study 2 demonstrated that IDA was effective at distinguishing age-related differences in postural control behavior between young, middle-aged, and older adults. These results suggest that the postural control system of young adults converges more quickly to their steady-state behavior while maintaining COP nearer an overall centroid than either the middle-aged or older adults. Additionally, larger entropy values for older adults indicate that their COP follows a more stochastic path, while smaller entropy values for young adults indicate a more deterministic path. These results illustrate the potential of IDA as a quantitative tool for the assessment of the quiet-standing postural control system.

  17. Fatiguing exercise intensity influences the relationship between parameters reflecting neuromuscular function and postural control variables.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sébastien Boyas

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of fatiguing exercise intensity on the nature and extent of fatigue-induced changes in neuromuscular function and postural stability in quiet standing. We also explored the contribution of selected neuromuscular mechanisms involved in force production to postural stability impairment observed following fatigue using an approach based on multivariate regressions. Eighteen young subjects performed 30-s postural trials on one leg with their eyes closed. Postural trials were performed before and after fatiguing exercises of different intensities: 25, 50 and 75% of maximal isometric plantarflexor torque. Fatiguing exercises consisted of sustaining a plantarflexor isometric contraction at the target intensity until task failure. Maximal isometric plantarflexor torque, electromyographic activity of plantarflexor and dorsiflexor muscles, activation level (twitch interpolation technique and twitch contractile properties of plantarflexors were used to characterize neuromuscular function. The 25% exercise was associated with greater central fatigue whereas the 50 and 75% exercises involved mostly peripheral fatigue. However, all fatiguing exercises induced similar alterations in postural stability, which was unexpected considering previous literature. Stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that fatigue-related changes in selected parameters related to neuromuscular function could explain more than half (0.51≤R(2≤0.82 of the changes in postural variables for the 25% exercise. On the other hand, regression models were less predictive (0.17≤R(2≤0.73 for the 50 and 75% exercises. This study suggests that fatiguing exercise intensity does not influence the extent of postural stability impairment, but does influence the type of fatigue induced and the neuromuscular function predictors explaining changes in postural variables.

  18. The relation between postural sway magnitude and metabolic energy cost during upright standing on a compliant surface.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Houdijk, J.H.P.; Brown, S.; van Dieen, J.H.

    2015-01-01

    Postural control performance is often described in terms of postural sway magnitude, assuming that lower sway magnitude reflects better performance. However, people do not typically minimize sway magnitude when performing a postural control task. Possibly, other criteria are satisfied when people

  19. Postural stability in the elderly during sensory perturbations and dual tasking: the influence of refractive blur.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anand, Vijay; Buckley, John G; Scally, Andy; Elliott, David B

    2003-07-01

    To determine the influence of refractive blur on postural stability during somatosensory and vestibular system perturbation and dual tasking. Fifteen healthy, elderly subjects (mean age, 71 +/- 5 years), who had no history of falls and had normal vision, were recruited. Postural stability during standing was assessed using a force platform, and was determined as the root mean square (RMS) of the center of pressure (COP) signal in the anterior-posterior (A-P) and medial-lateral directions collected over a 30-second period. Data were collected under normal standing conditions and with somatosensory and vestibular system perturbations. Measurements were repeated with an additional physical and/or cognitive task. Postural stability was measured under conditions of binocular refractive blur of 0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 D and with eyes closed. The data were analyzed with a population-averaged linear model. The greatest increases in postural instability were due to disruptions of the somatosensory and vestibular systems. Increasing refractive blur caused increasing postural instability, and its effect was greater when the input from the other sensory systems was disrupted. Performing an additional cognitive and physical task increased A-P RMS COP further. All these detrimental effects on postural stability were cumulative. The findings highlight the multifactorial nature of postural stability and indicate why the elderly, many of whom have poor vision and musculoskeletal and central nervous system degeneration, are at greater risk of falling. The findings also highlight that standing instability in both normal and perturbed conditions was significantly increased with refractive blur. Correcting visual impairment caused by uncorrected refractive error could be a useful intervention strategy to help prevent falls and fall-related injuries in the elderly.

  20. Postural Analysis in Time and Frequency Domains in Patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galli, Manuela; Rigoldi, Chiara; Celletti, Claudia; Mainardi, Luca; Tenore, Nunzio; Albertini, Giorgio; Camerota, Filippo

    2011-01-01

    The goal of this work is to analyze postural control in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) participants in time and frequency domain. This study considered a pathological group composed by 22 EDS participants performing a postural test consisting in maintaining standing position over a force platform for 30 s in two conditions: open eyes (OE) and closed…

  1. Fluence-to-dose conversion coefficients based on the posture modification of Adult Male (AM) and Adult Female (AF) reference phantoms of ICRP 110

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galeano, D.C.; Santos, W.S.; Alves, M.C.; Souza, D.N.; Carvalho, A.B.

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this work was to modify the standing posture of the anthropomorphic reference phantoms of ICRP publication 110, AM (Adult Male) and AF (Adult Female), to the sitting posture. The change of posture was performed using the Visual Monte Carlo software (VMC) to rotate the thigh region of the phantoms and position it between the region of the leg and trunk. Scion Image software was used to reconstruct and smooth the knee and hip contours of the phantoms in a sitting posture. For 3D visualization of phantoms, the VolView software was used. In the change of postures, the organ and tissue masses were preserved. The MCNPX was used to calculate the equivalent and effective dose conversion coefficients (CCs) per fluence for photons for six irradiation geometries suggested by ICRP publication 110 (AP, PA, RLAT, LLAT, ROT and ISO) and energy range 0.010–10 MeV. The results were compared between the standing and sitting postures, for both sexes, in order to evaluate the differences of scattering and absorption of radiation for different postures. Significant differences in the CCs for equivalent dose were observed in the gonads, colon, prostate, urinary bladder and uterus, which are present in the pelvic region, and in organs distributed throughout the body, such as the lymphatic nodes, muscle, skeleton and skin, for the phantoms of both sexes. CCs for effective dose showed significant differences of up to 16% in the AP irradiation geometry, 27% in the PA irradiation geometry and 13% in the ROT irradiation geometry. These results demonstrate the importance of using phantoms in different postures in order to obtain more precise conversion coefficients for a given exposure scenario. - Highlights: • The reference phantoms AM and AF had modified its posture. • The AM and AF phantoms were irradiated in standing and sitting postures. • The irradiation geometry used were the AP, PA, LLAT, RLAT, ROT and ISO. • The CCs for standing and sitting postures were compared

  2. Biomechanical Measures During Landing and Postural Stability Predict Second Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Return to Sport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paterno, Mark V.; Schmitt, Laura C.; Ford, Kevin R.; Rauh, Mitchell J.; Myer, Gregory D.; Huang, Bin; Hewett, Timothy E.

    2016-01-01

    Background Athletes who return to sport participation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) have a higher risk of a second anterior cruciate ligament injury (either reinjury or contralateral injury) compared with non–anterior cruciate ligament–injured athletes. Hypotheses Prospective measures of neuromuscular control and postural stability after ACLR will predict relative increased risk for a second anterior cruciate ligament injury. Study Design Cohort study (prognosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods Fifty-six athletes underwent a prospective biomechanical screening after ACLR using 3-dimensional motion analysis during a drop vertical jump maneuver and postural stability assessment before return to pivoting and cutting sports. After the initial test session, each subject was followed for 12 months for occurrence of a second anterior cruciate ligament injury. Lower extremity joint kinematics, kinetics, and postural stability were assessed and analyzed. Analysis of variance and logistic regression were used to identify predictors of a second anterior cruciate ligament injury. Results Thirteen athletes suffered a subsequent second anterior cruciate ligament injury. Transverse plane hip kinetics and frontal plane knee kinematics during landing, sagittal plane knee moments at landing, and deficits in postural stability predicted a second injury in this population (C statistic = 0.94) with excellent sensitivity (0.92) and specificity (0.88). Specific predictive parameters included an increase in total frontal plane (valgus) movement, greater asymmetry in internal knee extensor moment at initial contact, and a deficit in single-leg postural stability of the involved limb, as measured by the Biodex stability system. Hip rotation moment independently predicted second anterior cruciate ligament injury (C = 0.81) with high sensitivity (0.77) and specificity (0.81). Conclusion Altered neuromuscular control of the hip and knee during a dynamic landing task

  3. Influence of real and virtual heights on standing balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cleworth, Taylor W; Horslen, Brian C; Carpenter, Mark G

    2012-06-01

    Fear and anxiety induced by threatening scenarios, such as standing on elevated surfaces, have been shown to influence postural control in young adults. There is also a need to understand how postural threat influences postural control in populations with balance deficits and risk of falls. However, safety and feasibility issues limit opportunities to place such populations in physically threatening scenarios. Virtual reality (VR) has successfully been used to simulate threatening environments, although it is unclear whether the same postural changes can be elicited by changes in virtual and real threat conditions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the effects of real and virtual heights on changes to standing postural control, electrodermal activity (EDA) and psycho-social state. Seventeen subjects stood at low and high heights in both real and virtual environments matched in scale and visual detail. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed increases with height, independent of visual environment, in EDA, anxiety, fear, and center of pressure (COP) frequency, and decreases with height in perceived stability, balance confidence and COP amplitude. Interaction effects were seen for fear and COP mean position; where real elicited larger changes with height than VR. This study demonstrates the utility of VR, as simulated heights resulted in changes to postural, autonomic and psycho-social measures similar to those seen at real heights. As a result, VR may be a useful tool for studying threat related changes in postural control in populations at risk of falls, and to screen and rehabilitate balance deficits associated with fear and anxiety. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Inverse relations in the patterns of muscle and center of pressure dynamics during standing still and movement postures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison, S; Hong, S L; Newell, K M

    2007-08-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the postural center of pressure (COP) and surface muscle (EMG) dynamics of young adult participants under conditions where they were required to voluntarily produce random and regular sway motions in contrast to that of standing still. Frequency, amplitude and regularity measures of the COP excursion and EMG activity were assessed, as were measures of the coupling relations between the COP and EMG outputs. The results demonstrated that, even when standing still, there was a high degree of regularity in the COP output, with little difference in the modal frequency dynamics between standing still and preferred motion. Only during random conditions was a significantly greater degree of irregularity observed in the COP measures. The random-like movements were also characterized by a decrease in the level of synchrony between COP motion on the anterior-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) axes. In contrast, at muscle level, the random task resulted in the highest level of regularity (decreased ApEn) for the EMG output for soleus and tibialis anterior. The ability of individuals to produce a random motion was achieved through the decoupling of the COP motion in each dimension. This decoupling strategy was reflected by increased regularity of the EMG output as opposed to any significant change in the synchrony in the firing patterns of the muscles examined. Increased regularity across the individual muscles was accompanied by increased irregularity in COP dynamics, which can be characterized as a complexity tradeoff. Collectively, these findings support the view that the dynamics of muscle firing patterns does not necessarily map directly to the dynamics at the movement task level and vice versa.

  5. Cortical involvement in anticipatory postural reactions in man

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Tue Hvass; Rosenberg, Kasper; Petersen, Nicolas Caesar

    2009-01-01

    All movements are accompanied by postural reactions which ensure that the balance of the body is maintained. It has not been resolved that to what extent the primary motor cortex and corticospinal tract are involved in the control of these reactions. Here, we investigated the contribution...... of the corticospinal tract to the activation of the soleus (SOL) muscle in standing human subjects (n = 10) in relation to voluntary heel raise, anticipatory postural activation of the soleus muscle when the subject pulled a handle and to reflex activation of the soleus muscle when the subject was suddenly pulled...... was observed prior to EMG onset for the external perturbation. These data suggest that the primary motor cortex is involved in activating the SOL muscle as part of an anticipatory postural reaction....

  6. Effect of Postural Control Demands on Early Visual Evoked Potentials during a Subjective Visual Vertical Perception Task in Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Yi-Tzu; Meng, Ling-Fu; Chang, Chun-Ju; Lai, Po-Liang; Lung, Chi-Wen; Chern, Jen-Suh

    2017-01-01

    Subjective visual vertical (SVV) judgment and standing stability were separately investigated among patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Although, one study has investigated the central mechanism of stability control in the AIS population, the relationships between SVV, decreased standing stability, and AIS have never been investigated. Through event-related potentials (ERPs), the present study examined the effect of postural control demands (PDs) on AIS central mechanisms related to SVV judgment and standing stability to elucidate the time-serial stability control process. Thirteen AIS subjects (AIS group) and 13 age-matched adolescents (control group) aged 12-18 years were recruited. Each subject had to complete an SVV task (i.e., the modified rod-and-frame [mRAF] test) as a stimulus, with online electroencephalogram recording being performed in the following three standing postures: feet shoulder-width apart standing, feet together standing, and tandem standing. The behavioral performance in terms of postural stability (center of pressure excursion), SVV (accuracy and reaction time), and mRAF-locked ERPs (mean amplitude and peak latency of the P1, N1, and P2 components) was then compared between the AIS and control groups. In the behavioral domain, the results revealed that only the AIS group demonstrated a significantly accelerated SVV reaction time as the PDs increased. In the cerebral domain, significantly larger P2 mean amplitudes were observed during both feet shoulder-width-apart standing and feet together standing postures compared with during tandem standing. No group differences were noted in the cerebral domain. The results indicated that (1) during the dual-task paradigm, a differential behavioral strategy of accelerated SVV reaction time was observed in the AIS group only when the PDs increased and (2) the decrease in P2 mean amplitudes with the increase in the PD levels might be direct evidence of the competition for central

  7. Effect of Postural Control Demands on Early Visual Evoked Potentials during a Subjective Visual Vertical Perception Task in Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi-Tzu Chang

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Subjective visual vertical (SVV judgment and standing stability were separately investigated among patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS. Although, one study has investigated the central mechanism of stability control in the AIS population, the relationships between SVV, decreased standing stability, and AIS have never been investigated. Through event-related potentials (ERPs, the present study examined the effect of postural control demands (PDs on AIS central mechanisms related to SVV judgment and standing stability to elucidate the time-serial stability control process. Thirteen AIS subjects (AIS group and 13 age-matched adolescents (control group aged 12–18 years were recruited. Each subject had to complete an SVV task (i.e., the modified rod-and-frame [mRAF] test as a stimulus, with online electroencephalogram recording being performed in the following three standing postures: feet shoulder-width apart standing, feet together standing, and tandem standing. The behavioral performance in terms of postural stability (center of pressure excursion, SVV (accuracy and reaction time, and mRAF-locked ERPs (mean amplitude and peak latency of the P1, N1, and P2 components was then compared between the AIS and control groups. In the behavioral domain, the results revealed that only the AIS group demonstrated a significantly accelerated SVV reaction time as the PDs increased. In the cerebral domain, significantly larger P2 mean amplitudes were observed during both feet shoulder-width-apart standing and feet together standing postures compared with during tandem standing. No group differences were noted in the cerebral domain. The results indicated that (1 during the dual-task paradigm, a differential behavioral strategy of accelerated SVV reaction time was observed in the AIS group only when the PDs increased and (2 the decrease in P2 mean amplitudes with the increase in the PD levels might be direct evidence of the competition for

  8. Quantitative Postural Analysis of Children With Congenital Visual Impairment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Pádua, Michelle; Sauer, Juliana F; João, Silvia M A

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the postural alignment of children with visual impairment with that of children without visual impairment. The sample studied was 74 children of both sexes ages 5 to 12 years. Of these, 34 had visual impairment and 40 were control children. Digital photos from the standing position were used to analyze posture. Postural variables, such as tilt of the head, shoulder position, scapula position, lateral deviation of the spine, ankle position in the frontal plane and head posture, angle of thoracic kyphosis, angle of lumbar lordosis, pelvis position, and knee position in the frontal and sagittal planes, were measured with the Postural Assessment Software 0.63, version 36 (SAPO, São Paulo, Brazil), with markers placed in predetermined bony landmarks. The main results of this study showed that children with visual impairment have increased head tilt (P Visual impairment influences postural alignment. Children with visual impairment had increased head tilt, uneven shoulders, greater lateral deviation of the spine, thoracic kyphosis, lower lumbar lordosis, and more severe valgus deformities on knees. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  9. Analysis of postural sway in patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus: effects of shunt implantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Czerwosz L

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Poor postural balance is one of the major risk factors for falling in normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH. Postural instability in the clinic is commonly assessed based upon force platform posturography. In this study we focused on the identification of changes in sway characteristics while standing quiet in patients with NPH before and after shunt implantation. Postural sway area and sway radius were analyzed in a group of 9 patients and 46 controls of both genders. Subject's spontaneous sway was recorded while standing quiet on a force platform for 30-60 s, with eyes open and then closed. Both analyzed sway descriptors identified between-group differences and also an effect of shunt implantation in the NPH group. Sway radius and sway area in patients exhibited very high values compared with those in the control group. Importantly, the effect of eyesight in patients was not observed before shunt implantation and reappeared after the surgical treatment. The study documents that static force platform posturography may be a reliable measure of postural control improvement due to shunt surgery.

  10. Experimental Evaluation of Balance Prediction Models for Sit-to-Stand Movement in the Sagittal Plane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oscar David Pena Cabra

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Evaluation of balance control ability would become important in the rehabilitation training. In this paper, in order to make clear usefulness and limitation of a traditional simple inverted pendulum model in balance prediction in sit-to-stand movements, the traditional simple model was compared to an inertia (rotational radius variable inverted pendulum model including multiple-joint influence in the balance predictions. The predictions were tested upon experimentation with six healthy subjects. The evaluation showed that the multiple-joint influence model is more accurate in predicting balance under demanding sit-to-stand conditions. On the other hand, the evaluation also showed that the traditionally used simple inverted pendulum model is still reliable in predicting balance during sit-to-stand movement under non-demanding (normal condition. Especially, the simple model was shown to be effective for sit-to-stand movements with low center of mass velocity at the seat-off. Moreover, almost all trajectories under the normal condition seemed to follow the same control strategy, in which the subjects used extra energy than the minimum one necessary for standing up. This suggests that the safety considerations come first than the energy efficiency considerations during a sit to stand, since the most energy efficient trajectory is close to the backward fall boundary.

  11. Assessing Somatosensory Utilization during Unipedal Postural Control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goel, Rahul; De Dios, Yiri E; Gadd, Nichole E; Caldwell, Erin E; Peters, Brian T; Reschke, Millard F; Bloomberg, Jacob J; Oddsson, Lars I E; Mulavara, Ajitkumar P

    2017-01-01

    Multisensory-visual, vestibular and somatosensory information is integrated for appropriate postural control. The primary goal of this study was to assess somatosensory utilization during a functional motor task of unipedal postural control, in normal healthy adults. Assessing individual bias in the utilization of individual sensory contributions during postural control may help customization of rehabilitation protocols. In this study, a test paradigm of unipedal stance control in supine orientation with and without vision was assessed. Postural control in this test paradigm was hypothesized to utilize predominantly contributions of somatosensory information from the feet and ankle joint, with minimal vestibular input. Fourteen healthy subjects "stood" supine on their dominant leg while strapped to a backpack frame that was freely moving on air-bearings, to remove available otolith tilt cues with respect to gravity that influences postural control when standing upright. The backpack was attached through a cable to a pneumatic cylinder that provided a gravity-like load. Subjects performed three trials each with Eyes-open (EO) and Eyes-closed (EC) while loaded with 60% body weight. There was no difference in unipedal stance time (UST) across the two conditions with EC condition challenging the postural control system greater than the EO condition. Stabilogram-diffusion analysis (SDA) indicated that the critical mean square displacement was significantly different between the two conditions. Vestibular cues, both in terms of magnitude and the duration for which relevant information was available for postural control in this test paradigm, were minimized. These results support our hypothesis that maintaining unipedal stance in supine orientation without vision, minimizes vestibular contribution and thus predominantly utilizes somatosensory information for postural control.

  12. Obesity impact on the attentional cost for controlling posture.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean-Baptiste Mignardot

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the effects of obesity on attentional resources allocated to postural control in seating and unipedal standing.Ten non obese adults (BMI = 22.4±1.3, age = 42.4±15.1 and 10 obese adult patients (BMI = 35.2±2.8, age = 46.2±19.6 maintained postural stability on a force platform in two postural tasks (seated and unipedal. The two postural tasks were performed (1 alone and (2 in a dual-task paradigm in combination with an auditory reaction time task (RT. Performing the RT task together with the postural one was supposed to require some attentional resources that allowed estimating the attentional cost of postural control. 4 trials were performed in each condition for a total of 16 trials.(1 Whereas seated non obese and obese patients exhibited similar centre of foot pressure oscillations (CoP, in the unipedal stance only obese patients strongly increased their CoP sway in comparison to controls. (2 Whatever the postural task, the additional RT task did not affect postural stability. (3 Seated, RT did not differ between the two groups. (4 RT strongly increased between the two postural conditions in the obese patients only, suggesting that body schema and the use of internal models was altered with obesity.Obese patients needed more attentional resources to control postural stability during unipedal stance than non obese participants. This was not the case in a more simple posture such as seating. To reduce the risk of fall as indicated by the critical values of CoP displacement, obese patients must dedicate a strong large part of their attentional resources to postural control, to the detriment of non-postural events. Obese patients were not able to easily perform multitasking as healthy adults do, reflecting weakened psycho-motor abilities.

  13. Obesity Impact on the Attentional Cost for Controlling Posture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mignardot, Jean-Baptiste; Olivier, Isabelle; Promayon, Emmanuel; Nougier, Vincent

    2010-01-01

    Background This study investigated the effects of obesity on attentional resources allocated to postural control in seating and unipedal standing. Methods Ten non obese adults (BMI = 22.4±1.3, age = 42.4±15.1) and 10 obese adult patients (BMI = 35.2±2.8, age = 46.2±19.6) maintained postural stability on a force platform in two postural tasks (seated and unipedal). The two postural tasks were performed (1) alone and (2) in a dual-task paradigm in combination with an auditory reaction time task (RT). Performing the RT task together with the postural one was supposed to require some attentional resources that allowed estimating the attentional cost of postural control. 4 trials were performed in each condition for a total of 16 trials. Findings (1) Whereas seated non obese and obese patients exhibited similar centre of foot pressure oscillations (CoP), in the unipedal stance only obese patients strongly increased their CoP sway in comparison to controls. (2) Whatever the postural task, the additional RT task did not affect postural stability. (3) Seated, RT did not differ between the two groups. (4) RT strongly increased between the two postural conditions in the obese patients only, suggesting that body schema and the use of internal models was altered with obesity. Interpretation Obese patients needed more attentional resources to control postural stability during unipedal stance than non obese participants. This was not the case in a more simple posture such as seating. To reduce the risk of fall as indicated by the critical values of CoP displacement, obese patients must dedicate a strong large part of their attentional resources to postural control, to the detriment of non-postural events. Obese patients were not able to easily perform multitasking as healthy adults do, reflecting weakened psycho-motor abilities. PMID:21187914

  14. The reliability and validity of the Saliba Postural Classification System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collins, Cristiana Kahl; Johnson, Vicky Saliba; Godwin, Ellen M; Pappas, Evangelos

    2016-07-01

    To determine the reliability and validity of the Saliba Postural Classification System (SPCS). Two physical therapists classified pictures of 100 volunteer participants standing in their habitual posture for inter and intra-tester reliability. For validity, 54 participants stood on a force plate in a habitual and a corrected posture, while a vertical force was applied through the shoulders until the clinician felt a postural give. Data were extracted at the time the give was felt and at a time in the corrected posture that matched the peak vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) in the habitual posture. Inter-tester reliability demonstrated 75% agreement with a Kappa = 0.64 (95% CI = 0.524-0.756, SE = 0.059). Intra-tester reliability demonstrated 87% agreement with a Kappa = 0.8, (95% CI = 0.702-0.898, SE = 0.05) and 80% agreement with a Kappa = 0.706, (95% CI = 0.594-0818, SE = 0.057). The examiner applied a significantly higher (p < 0.001) peak vertical force in the corrected posture prior to a postural give when compared to the habitual posture. Within the corrected posture, the %VGRF was higher when the test was ongoing vs. when a postural give was felt (p < 0.001). The %VGRF was not different between the two postures when comparing the peaks (p = 0.214). The SPCS has substantial agreement for inter- and intra-tester reliability and is largely a valid postural classification system as determined by the larger vertical forces in the corrected postures. Further studies on the correlation between the SPCS and diagnostic classifications are indicated.

  15. The role of the antigravity musculature during quiet standing in man.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soames, R W; Atha, J

    1981-01-01

    The view that postural regulation is achieved by controlling the destabilising effects of gravity through myotatic reflex activity was examined using surface electromyography. Forty seconds of recordings were made of myograms from eighteen muscles in each of a sample of nine young adults. It was observed that antigravity muscular activity in standing is generally low and often absent, and that the myograms from the muscles of the right and left sides of the body differed appreciably, the two sides rarely working together. Some sudden and united bursts of antigravity muscle activity could be observed. These might well have been stretch reflex induced, but they were transient and rare. It is concluded that the view that postural control in quiet standing is continuously mediated in a simple way by stretch reflex mechanisms is probably not valid, and that other mechanisms for controlling posture remain to be identified.

  16. Postural adjustments are modulated by manual task complexity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Augusto Teixeira

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Daily life activities of humans are characterized by dual tasks, in which a manual task is performed concomitantly with a postural task. Based on the assumption that both manual and postural tasks require attentional resources, no consensus exists as to how the central nervous system modulates postural adjustments in dual tasks. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of a manual task requiring attentional resources on shoulder and ankle adjustments as a function of the direction and predictability of postural perturbation. The participants (n=6 were evaluated during the performance of a simple and a complex manual task, while the base of support was moved backward or forward. Latency of activation of the tibialis anterior and gastroc-nemius muscles and angular acceleration of the shoulder were analyzed. The results showed that execution of the complex manual task delayed postural adjustment. Moreover, this delay occurred differently depending on the direction of postural perturbation. The delay in postural adjustment occurred proximally in the case of anterior displacement of the platform, and distally in the case of posterior displacement. Postural adjustments were more affected by the attentional task than by the predictability of platform displacement. These results are consistent with the concept of an integrated control between manual actions and the maintenance of static posture.

  17. The Effects of Slackline Balance Training on Postural Control in Older Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Monika; Kalicinski, Michael

    2016-07-01

    The present study investigated whether slackline training enhances postural control in older adults. Twenty-four participants were randomized into an intervention and a control group. The intervention group received 6 weeks of slackline training, two times per week. Pre-post measurement included the time of different standing positions on a balance platform with and without an external disturbance and the acceleration of the balance platform. Results showed significantly improved standing times during one-leg stance without external disturbance and a significantly reduced acceleration of the balance platform for the intervention group after the training period during tandem stance with and without an external disturbance. We conclude that slackline training in older adults has a positive impact on postural control and thus on the reduction of fall risk.

  18. Light touch contact improves pain-evoked postural instability during quiet standing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hirata, Rogerio P.; Christensen, Steffan W.; Agger, Simone

    2018-01-01

    for 40 seconds with their eyes closed. Their postural stability was quantified by the area and velocity of center of pressure (CoP) displacement. The CoP was recorded with and without pain during two different conditions: 1) no touch and 2) the subjects were asked to lightly touch a curtain...

  19. Aging causes a reorganization of cortical and spinal control of posture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Selma ePapegaaij

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Classical studies in animal preparations suggest a strong role for spinal control of posture. In young adults it is now established that the cerebral cortex contributes to postural control of unperturbed and perturbed standing. The age-related degeneration and accompanying functional changes in the brain, reported so far mainly in conjunction with simple manual motor tasks, may also affect the mechanisms that control complex motor tasks involving posture. This review outlines the age-related structural and functional changes at spinal and cortical levels and provides a mechanistic analysis of how such changes may be linked to the behaviorally manifest postural deficits in old adults. The emerging picture is that the age-related reorganization in motor control during voluntary tasks, characterized by differential modulation of spinal reflexes, greater cortical activation and cortical disinhibition, is also present during postural tasks. We discuss the possibility that this reorganization underlies the increased coactivation and dual task interference reported in elderly. Finally, we propose a model for future studies to unravel the structure-function-behavior relations in postural control and aging.

  20. Analysis of WBV on standing and seated passengers during off-peak operation in KL monorail

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasnan, K.; Bakhsh, Q.; Ahmed, A.; Ali, D.; Jamali, A. R.

    2018-03-01

    In this study, the Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) was analyzed on the standing and seated passenger during off-peak operating hours when train was on the track. The experiments were conducted on two car train at one constant location (bogie-1, which is near to driver’s cabin) during downward direction from KL sentral station towards Titiwangsa station. The aim of this study was to analyze that, in which posture of passenger’s exposures the maximum level of WBV. Since, one passenger was performed the whole journey in standing posture whereas, the other passenger was in seated posture. The result obtained from experiments for the RMS accelerations (Arms), maximum acceleration (Amax) and minimum acceleration (Amin) during the trip. As per standard ISO 2631-1, the daily vibration exposure (A8), Vibration Dose value (VDV) and Crest Factor (CF) of this trip for both standing and sitting orientations were calculated. Results shows that the seated passenger was exposed to longer periods of continuous vibration as compared to the standing passenger. Whereas, the Vibration Dose value (VDV) value was greater than the action value as per ISO 2631-1 and within the limit values. The study concluded that whole body vibration transmitted towards both passengers either standing or seated during their journey. But in overall results comparison of both orientations, the seated passengers gained higher vibration than the standing one.

  1. Three components of postural control associated with pushing in symmetrical and asymmetrical stance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Yun-Ju; Aruin, Alexander S

    2013-07-01

    A number of occupational and leisure activities that involve pushing are performed in symmetrical or asymmetrical stance. The goal of this study was to investigate early postural adjustments (EPAs), anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs), and compensatory postural adjustments (CPAs) during pushing performed while standing. Ten healthy volunteers stood in symmetrical stance (with feet parallel) or in asymmetrical stance (staggered stance with one foot forward) and were instructed to use both hands to push forward the handle of a pendulum attached to the ceiling. Bilateral EMG activity of the trunk and leg muscles and the center of pressure (COP) displacements in the anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) directions were recorded and analyzed during the EPAs, APAs, and CPAs. The EMG activity and the COP displacement were different between the symmetrical and asymmetrical stance conditions. The COP displacements in the ML direction were significantly larger in staggered stance than in symmetrical stance. In staggered stance, the EPAs and APAs in the thigh muscles of the backward leg were significantly larger, and the CPAs were smaller than in the forward leg. There was no difference in the EMG activity of the trunk muscles between the stance conditions. The study outcome confirmed the existence of the three components of postural control (EPAs, APAs, and CPAs) in pushing. Moreover, standing asymmetrically was associated with asymmetrical patterns of EMG activity in the lower extremities reflecting the stance-related postural control during pushing. The study outcome provides a basis for studying postural control during other daily activities involving pushing.

  2. Falls efficacy, postural balance, and risk for falls in older adults with falls-related emergency department visits: prospective cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pua, Yong-Hao; Ong, Peck-Hoon; Clark, Ross Allan; Matcher, David B; Lim, Edwin Choon-Wyn

    2017-12-21

    Risk for falls in older adults has been associated with falls efficacy (self-perceived confidence in performing daily physical activities) and postural balance, but available evidence is limited and mixed. We examined the interaction between falls efficacy and postural balance and its association with future falls. We also investigated the association between falls efficacy and gait decline. Falls efficacy, measured by the Modified Falls Efficacy Scale (MFES), and standing postural balance, measured using computerized posturography on a balance board, were obtained from 247 older adults with a falls-related emergency department visit. Six-month prospective fall rate and habitual gait speed at 6 months post baseline assessment were also measured. In multivariable proportional odds analyses adjusted for potential confounders, falls efficacy modified the association between postural balance and fall risk (interaction P = 0.014): increasing falls efficacy accentuated the increased fall risk related to poor postural balance. Low baseline falls efficacy was strongly predictive of worse gait speed (0.11 m/s [0.06 to 0.16] slower gait speed per IQR decrease in MFES; P falls efficacy but poor postural balance were at greater risk for falls than those with low falls efficacy; however, low baseline falls efficacy was strongly associated with worse gait function at follow-up. Further research into these subgroups of older adults is warranted. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01713543 .

  3. Postural Control Characteristics during Single Leg Standing of Individuals with a History of Ankle Sprain: Measurements Obtained Using a Gravicorder and Head and Foot Accelerometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abe, Yota; Sugaya, Tomoaki; Sakamoto, Masaaki

    2014-03-01

    [Purpose] This study aimed to validate the postural control characteristics of individuals with a history of ankle sprain during single leg standing by using a gravicorder and head and foot accelerometry. [Subjects] Twenty subjects with and 23 subjects without a history of ankle sprain (sprain and control groups, respectively) participated. [Methods] The anteroposterior, mediolateral, and total path lengths, as well as root mean square (RMS) of each length, were calculated using the gravicorder. The anteroposterior, mediolateral, and resultant acceleration of the head and foot were measured using accelerometers and were evaluated as the ratio of the acceleration of the head to the foot. [Results] There was no significant difference between the two groups in path length or RMS acceleration of the head and foot. However, the ratios of the mediolateral and resultant components were significantly higher in the sprain group than in the control group. [Conclusion] Our findings suggest that individuals with a history of ankle sprain have a higher head-to-foot acceleration ratio and different postural control characteristics than those of control subjects.

  4. Analysis awkward posture at food production activity using RULA ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    If the workers continuously perform the activities throughout the working hours, they may experience prolonged standing which creates fatigue and causes an occupational hazard which includes slips and falls. The goal of this study was to identify awkward postures during food production activities. 40 workers with minimum ...

  5. Comparison of thorasis kyphosis and postural stiffness between elderly females and males in Tehran elderly recreation association

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minoo Khalkhali zavieh

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aim: Hyperkyphosis can lead to reduced respiratory capacity, postural disturbance and increased risk of falling. Despite the evidences about the more postural stiffness and kyphosis in elderly compared with young subjects and despite the known role of sex hormones and menopause in lowering the bone density, there is not any study about the effect of sex on the amount of thoracic kyphosis. The objective of this study is measuring and comparing the amount of spinal thoracic kyphosis and postural stiffness between the old females and males.Methods and Materials: In this descriptive-analytical study, in 36 healthy old subjects (21 female and 15 male the amount of spinal thoracic kyphosis was measured by flexible ruler mounted between the spinous process T12 and C7 during, relaxed and erect postures. The difference of the kyphosis in relaxed and erect posture was used as an index of postural stiffness. The kyphosis and postural stiffness was compared between the females and males.Results: The average amount of kyphosis in relaxed and erect standing didn’t have statistically significant difference between females and males. The subjects in both groups could decrease theirs kyphosis in standing erect position (P=0.0001, but the amount of this decrease (postural stiffness was not different between the females and males. Conclusion: In old women (which aren’t osteoporotic hormonal changes due to menopause didn’t induce a statistically significant difference compared to old men in kyphosis and postural stiffness.Postural stiffness was increased by increasing the BMI that could suggest the BMI as an efficient factor in reducing the mobility of the spine.

  6. Postural Control in Bilateral Vestibular Failure: Its Relation to Visual, Proprioceptive, Vestibular, and Cognitive Input

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sprenger, Andreas; Wojak, Jann F.; Jandl, Nico M.; Helmchen, Christoph

    2017-01-01

    Patients with bilateral vestibular failure (BVF) suffer from postural and gait unsteadiness with an increased risk of falls. The aim of this study was to elucidate the differential role of otolith, semicircular canal (SSC), visual, proprioceptive, and cognitive influences on the postural stability of BVF patients. Center-of-pressure displacements were recorded by posturography under six conditions: target visibility; tonic head positions in the pitch plane; horizontal head shaking; sensory deprivation; dual task; and tandem stance. Between-group analysis revealed larger postural sway in BVF patients on eye closure; but with the eyes open, BVF did not differ from healthy controls (HCs). Head tilts and horizontal head shaking increased sway but did not differ between groups. In the dual task condition, BVF patients maintained posture indistinguishable from controls. On foam and tandem stance, postural sway was larger in BVF, even with the eyes open. The best predictor for the severity of bilateral vestibulopathy was standing on foam with eyes closed. Postural control of our BVF was indistinguishable from HCs once visual and proprioceptive feedback is provided. This distinguishes them from patients with vestibulo-cerebellar disorders or functional dizziness. It confirms previous reports and explains that postural unsteadiness of BVF patients can be missed easily if not examined by conditions of visual and/or proprioceptive deprivation. In fact, the best predictor for vestibular hypofunction (VOR gain) was examining patients standing on foam with the eyes closed. Postural sway in that condition increased with the severity of vestibular impairment but not with disease duration. In the absence of visual control, impaired otolith input destabilizes BVF with head retroflexion. Stimulating deficient SSC does not distinguish patients from controls possibly reflecting a shift of intersensory weighing toward proprioceptive-guided postural control. Accordingly, proprioceptive

  7. Postural Control in Bilateral Vestibular Failure: Its Relation to Visual, Proprioceptive, Vestibular, and Cognitive Input.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sprenger, Andreas; Wojak, Jann F; Jandl, Nico M; Helmchen, Christoph

    2017-01-01

    Patients with bilateral vestibular failure (BVF) suffer from postural and gait unsteadiness with an increased risk of falls. The aim of this study was to elucidate the differential role of otolith, semicircular canal (SSC), visual, proprioceptive, and cognitive influences on the postural stability of BVF patients. Center-of-pressure displacements were recorded by posturography under six conditions: target visibility; tonic head positions in the pitch plane; horizontal head shaking; sensory deprivation; dual task; and tandem stance. Between-group analysis revealed larger postural sway in BVF patients on eye closure; but with the eyes open, BVF did not differ from healthy controls (HCs). Head tilts and horizontal head shaking increased sway but did not differ between groups. In the dual task condition, BVF patients maintained posture indistinguishable from controls. On foam and tandem stance, postural sway was larger in BVF, even with the eyes open. The best predictor for the severity of bilateral vestibulopathy was standing on foam with eyes closed. Postural control of our BVF was indistinguishable from HCs once visual and proprioceptive feedback is provided. This distinguishes them from patients with vestibulo-cerebellar disorders or functional dizziness. It confirms previous reports and explains that postural unsteadiness of BVF patients can be missed easily if not examined by conditions of visual and/or proprioceptive deprivation. In fact, the best predictor for vestibular hypofunction (VOR gain) was examining patients standing on foam with the eyes closed. Postural sway in that condition increased with the severity of vestibular impairment but not with disease duration. In the absence of visual control, impaired otolith input destabilizes BVF with head retroflexion. Stimulating deficient SSC does not distinguish patients from controls possibly reflecting a shift of intersensory weighing toward proprioceptive-guided postural control. Accordingly, proprioceptive

  8. Postural Control in Bilateral Vestibular Failure: Its Relation to Visual, Proprioceptive, Vestibular, and Cognitive Input

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreas Sprenger

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Patients with bilateral vestibular failure (BVF suffer from postural and gait unsteadiness with an increased risk of falls. The aim of this study was to elucidate the differential role of otolith, semicircular canal (SSC, visual, proprioceptive, and cognitive influences on the postural stability of BVF patients. Center-of-pressure displacements were recorded by posturography under six conditions: target visibility; tonic head positions in the pitch plane; horizontal head shaking; sensory deprivation; dual task; and tandem stance. Between-group analysis revealed larger postural sway in BVF patients on eye closure; but with the eyes open, BVF did not differ from healthy controls (HCs. Head tilts and horizontal head shaking increased sway but did not differ between groups. In the dual task condition, BVF patients maintained posture indistinguishable from controls. On foam and tandem stance, postural sway was larger in BVF, even with the eyes open. The best predictor for the severity of bilateral vestibulopathy was standing on foam with eyes closed. Postural control of our BVF was indistinguishable from HCs once visual and proprioceptive feedback is provided. This distinguishes them from patients with vestibulo-cerebellar disorders or functional dizziness. It confirms previous reports and explains that postural unsteadiness of BVF patients can be missed easily if not examined by conditions of visual and/or proprioceptive deprivation. In fact, the best predictor for vestibular hypofunction (VOR gain was examining patients standing on foam with the eyes closed. Postural sway in that condition increased with the severity of vestibular impairment but not with disease duration. In the absence of visual control, impaired otolith input destabilizes BVF with head retroflexion. Stimulating deficient SSC does not distinguish patients from controls possibly reflecting a shift of intersensory weighing toward proprioceptive-guided postural control. Accordingly

  9. Validity and Reliability of Gait and Postural Control Analysis Using the Tri-axial Accelerometer of the iPod Touch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kosse, Nienke M; Caljouw, Simone; Vervoort, Danique; Vuillerme, Nicolas; Lamoth, Claudine J C

    2015-08-01

    Accelerometer-based assessments can identify elderly with an increased fall risk and monitor interventions. Smart devices, like the iPod Touch, with built-in accelerometers are promising for clinical gait and posture assessments due to easy use and cost-effectiveness. The aim of the present study was to establish the validity and reliability of the iPod Touch for gait and posture assessment. Sixty healthy participants (aged 18-75 years) were measured with an iPod Touch and stand-alone accelerometer while they walked under single- and dual-task conditions, and while standing in parallel and semi-tandem stance with eyes open, eyes closed and when performing a dual task. Cross-correlation values (CCV) showed high correspondence of anterior-posterior and medio-lateral signal patterns (CCV's ≥ 0.88). Validity of gait parameters (foot contacts, index of harmonicity, and amplitude variability) and standing posture parameters [root mean square of accelerations, median power frequency (MPF) and sway area] as indicated by intra-class correlation (ICC) was high (ICC = 0.85-0.99) and test-retest reliability was good (ICC = 0.81-0.97), except for MPF (ICC = 0.59-0.87). Overall, the iPod Touch obtained valid and reliable measures of gait and postural control in healthy adults of all ages under different conditions. Additionally, smart devices have the potential to be used for clinical gait and posture assessments.

  10. Regional differences in lumbar spinal posture and the influence of low back pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Burnett Angus F

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Spinal posture is commonly a focus in the assessment and clinical management of low back pain (LBP patients. However, the link between spinal posture and LBP is not fully understood. Recent evidence suggests that considering regional, rather than total lumbar spine posture is important. The purpose of this study was to determine; if there are regional differences in habitual lumbar spine posture and movement, and if these findings are influenced by LBP. Methods One hundred and seventy female undergraduate nursing students, with and without LBP, participated in this cross-sectional study. Lower lumbar (LLx, Upper lumbar (ULx and total lumbar (TLx spine angles were measured using an electromagnetic tracking system in static postures and across a range of functional tasks. Results Regional differences in lumbar posture and movement were found. Mean LLx posture did not correlate with ULx posture in sitting (r = 0.036, p = 0.638, but showed a moderate inverse correlation with ULx posture in usual standing (r = -0.505, p Conclusion This study supports the concept of regional differences within the lumbar spine during common postures and movements. Global lumbar spine kinematics do not reflect regional lumbar spine kinematics, which has implications for interpretation of measures of spinal posture, motion and loading. BMI influenced regional lumbar posture and movement, possibly representing adaptation due to load.

  11. The influence of an auditory-memory attention-demanding task on postural control in blind persons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melzer, Itshak; Damry, Elad; Landau, Anat; Yagev, Ronit

    2011-05-01

    In order to evaluate the effect of an auditory-memory attention-demanding task on balance control, nine blind adults were compared to nine age-gender-matched sighted controls. This issue is particularly relevant for the blind population in which functional assessment of postural control has to be revealed through "real life" motor and cognitive function. The study aimed to explore whether an auditory-memory attention-demanding cognitive task would influence postural control in blind persons and compare this with blindfolded sighted persons. Subjects were instructed to minimize body sway during narrow base upright standing on a single force platform under two conditions: 1) standing still (single task); 2) as in 1) while performing an auditory-memory attention-demanding cognitive task (dual task). Subjects in both groups were required to stand blindfolded with their eyes closed. Center of Pressure displacement data were collected and analyzed using summary statistics and stabilogram-diffusion analysis. Blind and sighted subjects had similar postural sway in eyes closed condition. However, for dual compared to single task, sighted subjects show significant decrease in postural sway while blind subjects did not. The auditory-memory attention-demanding cognitive task had no interference effect on balance control on blind subjects. It seems that sighted individuals used auditory cues to compensate for momentary loss of vision, whereas blind subjects did not. This may suggest that blind and sighted people use different sensorimotor strategies to achieve stability. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. The Effect of Local Fatigue Induced at Proximal and Distal Muscles of Lower Extremity in Sagittal Plane on Visual Dependency in Quiet Standing Postural Stability of Healthy Young Females

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manijeh Soleymani-Far

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of local muscle fatigue induced at proximal and distal segments of lower extremity on sagittal plane mover on visual dependency in quiet standing postural stability. Materials & Methods: In this Quasi–experimental study (before – after comparison sagittal plane prime movers of the ankle and hip musculature were fatigued using isokinetic contractions at two test sessions with a randomized order and one week interval. Twenty five healthy young female students were َselected by using non probability selection and sample of convenience and asked to maintain single leg upright posture as immobile as possible. RMS and SD of Center of Pressure displacements were assessed in 30 seconds and consequently, the eyes were closed after 15 seconds. A analysis of variance (ANOVA for repeated measures was used to analyze the effect of the following factors over two periods of 5 seconds immediately before and after eye closure: (1 fatigue, (2 vision, (3 segment of fatigue. Results: The main effects of each within-subject factors (fatigue, vision and segment of fatigue were significant (P<0.05. The analysis of RMS and SD of Center of Pressure demonstrated a significant interaction between fatigue and vision, and fatigue and segment of fatigue so that the effects of Fatigue on Proximal segment and eye closed conditions were increased. Conclusion: The visual dependency for control of postural stability incremented following muscle fatigue. Proximal muscle fatigue lead to exaggeration of visual dependency for control of postural stability. Based on the present results, emphasis on the proprioception of proximal segment of lower extremity may be recommended for postural stability training.

  13. Delayed postural control during self-generated perturbations in the frail older adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kubicki A

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Alexandre Kubicki1–3, François Bonnetblanc1,2, Geoffroy Petrement3, Yves Ballay1,2, France Mourey2,4¹UFR STAPS, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France; ²Motricité et Plasticité, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM, Dijon, France; ³SARL Fovea Interactive, Campus Industriel – Espace Entreprises, Chalon sur Saône, France; 4UFR Médecine, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, FrancePurpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the coordination between posture and movement in pathological aging (frailty in comparison with normal aging, with the hypothesis that in pathological aging, postural control evolves towards a more reactive mode for which the perturbation induced by the movement is not anticipated and leads to delayed and late postural adjustments.Methods: Elderly subjects performed rapid focal arm-raising movements towards a target, from an upright standing position in two stimuli conditions: simple reaction time and choice reaction time (CRT. Hand and center of pressure (CoP kinematics were compared between a control group and a frail group of the same age.Results: In frail individuals, the entire movement was impaired and slowed down. In addition, postural adjustments that classically precede and accompany the focal arm movement were delayed and reduced, especially in the CRT condition in which the motor prediction is more limited. Finally, a correlation between the time to CoP maximal velocity and the timed up-and-go score was observed.Conclusion: In these patients, it was concluded that the control of the CoP displacement evolved from a proactive mode in which the perturbation associated with the arm movement is anticipated toward a more reactive mode in which the perturbation is compensated by late and delayed adjustments.Keywords: frailty, anticipatory postural adjustments, backward disequilibrium

  14. Phase-dependent organization of postural adjustments associated with arm movements while walking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nashner, L M; Forssberg, H

    1986-06-01

    This study examines the interactions between anteroposterior postural responses and the control of walking in human subjects. In the experimental paradigm, subjects walked upon a treadmill, gripping a rigid handle with one hand. Postural responses at different phases of stepping were elicited by rapid arm pulls or pushes against the handle. During arm movements, EMG's recorded the activity of representative arm, ankle, and thigh segment muscles. Strain gauges in the handle measured the force of the arm movement. A Selspot II system measured kinematics of the stepping movements. The duration of support and swing phases were marked by heel and toe switches in the soles of the subjects' shoes. In the first experiment, subjects were instructed to pull on the handle at their own pace. In these trials all subjects preferred to initiate pulls near heel strikes. Next, when instructed to pull as rapidly as possible in response to tone stimuli, reaction times were similar for all phases of the step cycle. Leg muscle responses associated with arm pulls and pushes, referred to as "postural activations," were directionally specific and preceded arm muscle activity. The temporal order and spatial distribution of postural activations in the muscles of the support leg were similar when arm pull movements occurred while the subject was standing in place and after heel strike while walking. Activations began in the ankle and radiated proximally to the thigh and then the arm. Activations of swing leg muscles were also directionally specific and involved flexion and forward or backward thrust of the limb. When arm movements were initiated during transitions from support by one leg to the other, patterns of postural activations were altered. Alterations usually occurred 10-20 ms before hell strikes and involved changes in the timing and sometimes the spatial structure of postural activations. Postural activation patterns are similar during in-place standing and during the support phase

  15. The difference between standing and sitting in 3 different seat inclinations on abdominal muscle activity and chest and abdominal expansion in woodwind and brass musicians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bronwen Jane Ackermann

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Wind instrumentalists require a sophisticated functioning of their respiratory system to control their air stream, which provides the power for optimal musical performance. The air supply must be delivered into the instrument in a steady and controlled manner and with enough power by the action of the expiratory musculature to produce the desired level of sound at the correct pitch. It is suggested that playing posture may have an impact on the abdominal muscle activity controlling this expired air, but there is no research on musicians to support this theory. This study evaluated chest and abdominal expansion, via respiratory inductive plethysmography, as well as activation patterns of lower and upper abdominal musculature, using surface electromyography, during performance of a range of typical orchestral repertoire by 113 woodwind and brass players. Each of the five orchestral excerpts was played in one of four randomly allocated postures: standing; sitting flat; sitting inclined forwards; and sitting inclined backwards.Musicians showed a clear preference for playing in standing rather than sitting. In standing, the chest expansion range and maximum values were greater (p<0.01, while the abdominal expansion was less than in all sitting postures (p<0.01. Chest expansion patterns did not vary between the three sitting postures, while abdominal expansion was reduced in the forward inclined posture compared to the other sitting postures (p<0.05. There was no significant variation in abdominal muscle activation between the sitting postures, but the level of activation in sitting was only 2/3 of the significantly higher level observed in standing (p<0.01.This study has demonstrated significant differences in respiratory mechanics between sitting and standing postures in wind musicians during playing of typical orchestral repertoire. Further research is needed to clarify the complex respiratory mechanisms supporting musical performance.

  16. Effects of Levodopa on Postural Strategies in Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baston, Chiara; Mancini, Martina; Rocchi, Laura; Horak, Fay

    2016-05-01

    Altered postural control and balance are major disabling issues of Parkinson's disease (PD). Static and dynamic posturography have provided insight into PD's postural deficits; however, little is known about impairments in postural coordination. We hypothesized that subjects with PD would show more ankle strategy during quiet stance than healthy control subjects, who would include some hip strategy, and this stiffer postural strategy would increase with disease progression. We quantified postural strategy and sway dispersion with inertial sensors (one placed on the shank and one on the posterior trunk at L5 level) while subjects were standing still with their eyes open. A total of 70 subjects with PD, including a mild group (H&Y≤2, N=33) and a more severe group (H&Y≥3, N=37), were assessed while OFF and while ON levodopa medication. We also included a healthy control group (N=21). Results showed an overall preference of ankle strategy in all groups while maintaining balance. Postural strategy was significantly lower ON compared to OFF medication (indicating more hip strategy), but no effect of disease stage was found. Instead, sway dispersion was significantly larger in ON compared to OFF medication, and significantly larger in the more severe PD group compared to the mild. In addition, increased hip strategy during stance was associated with poorer self-perception of balance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. The effect of methylphenidate on postural stability under single and dual task conditions in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - a double blind randomized control trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobi-Polishook, Talia; Shorer, Zamir; Melzer, Itshak

    2009-05-15

    To investigate the effects of Methylphenidate (MPH) on postural stability in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children in single and dual task conditions. A randomized controlled double-blind study analyzing postural stability in 24 ADHD children before and after MPH vs. placebo treatments, in three task conditions: (1) Single task, standing still; (2) dual task, standing still performing a memory-attention demanding task; (3) standing still listening to music. MPH resulted in a significant improvement in postural stability during the dual task condition and while listening to music, with no equivalent improvement in placebo controls. MPH improves postural stability in ADHD, especially when an additional task is performed. This is probably due to enhanced attention abilities, thus contributing to improved balance control during performance of tasks that require attention. MPH remains to be studied as a potential drug treatment to improve balance control and physical functioning in other clinical populations.

  18. Posture and low back pain during pregnancy - 3D study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glinkowski, Wojciech M; Tomasik, Paweł; Walesiak, Katarzyna; Głuszak, Michał; Krawczak, Karolina; Michoński, Jakub; Czyżewska, Anna; Żukowska, Agnieszka; Sitnik, Robert; Wielgoś, Mirosław

    2016-01-01

    Back pain is a common complaint of pregnant women. The posture, curvatures of the spine and the center of gravity changes are considered as the mechanisms leading to pain. The study aimed to assess spinal curvatures and static postural characteristics with three-dimensional surface topography and search for relationships with the occurrence of back pain complaints among pregnant women. The study was conducted from December 2012 to February 2014. Patients referred from University Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics were examined outpatient at the Posture Study Unit of Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. Sixty-five women at 4-39 weeks of pregnancy were assessed and surveyed with Oswestry Disability Index; posture was evaluated using surface topography. The study confirmed that difficulties in sitting and standing are significant in the third trimester of the pregnancy. The overall tendency for significant lumbar curvature changes in pregnant women was not confirmed. Major changes in sagittal trunk inclination in relation to the plumb line were not observed in the study group. The issue regarding how the pregnancy causes changes in spinal curvature and posture remains open for further studies. Presented method of 3D surface topography can reveal postural changes, but that requires several exams of each subject and strict follow-up of the series of cases.

  19. FATIGUE AND FAULTY POSTURE CONNECTION AMONG CHILDREN, DIAGNOSED WITH DYSARTHRIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrejeva Julija

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Purpose : To analyze spastic dysarthria form in children population dependency of fatigue and faulty posture relationship. Methods: Research performed with the permission of the bioethics committee (RE-BK-063. The Dutch Fatigue Scale (DUFS. Posture in standing was assessed by Hoeger and Kendall. Research subjects n=40. n=20 children diagnosed with spastic dysarthria and n=20 of children without dysarthria. Their age was 10±2.1years. Boys were n=20 and girls - n=20.Results were statistically significant at p<0.05. Microsoft Office 2013, Excel package were used to count a research results. Results: For children with dysarthria fatigue level is more significant that for children without dysarthria; results were statistically significant, p<0.05. Posture disorder for children with dysarthria was statistically significant higher than among children without dysarthria, p<0.05. Conclusions: For children with dysarthria fatigue level is higher than for healthy children, thus for the girls fatigue level is higher than for the boys. Spastic form dysarthria has an impact to a child posture, by creating a direct dependency between posture deformation and skeletal muscle system disease, which decreases muscle power and increasing fatigue for a child. To correct faulty posture thus to decrease fatigue the tight collaboration needed between rehabilitation team members.

  20. Fatigue and faulty posture connection among children, diagnosed with dysarthria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julija Andrejeva

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Purpose : To analyze spastic dysarthria form in children population dependency of fatigue and faulty posture relationship. Methods: Research performed with the permission of the bioethics committee (RE-BK-063. The Dutch Fatigue Scale (DUFS. Posture in standing was assessed by Hoeger and Kendall. Research subjects n=40. n=20 children diagnosed with spastic dysarthria and n=20 of children without dysarthria. Their age was 10±2.1years. Boys were n=20 and girls - n=20.Results were statistically significant at p<0.05. Microsoft Office 2013, Excel package were used to count a research results. Results: For children with dysarthria fatigue level is more significant that for children without dysarthria; results were statistically significant, p<0.05. Posture disorder for children with dysarthria was statistically significant higher than among children without dysarthria, p<0.05. Conclusions: For children with dysarthria fatigue level is higher than for healthy children, thus for the girls fatigue level is higher than for the boys. Spastic form dysarthria has an impact to a child posture, by creating a direct dependency between posture deformation and skeletal muscle system disease, which decreases muscle power and increasing fatigue for a child. To correct faulty posture thus to decrease fatigue the tight collaboration needed between rehabilitation team members.

  1. Modification of male adult simulator posture of ICRP 110 reference

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galeano, Diego C.; Souza, Divanizia N.; Santos, Willian S.; Carvalho Junior, Alberico B.

    2014-01-01

    Voxel simulators are usually constructed based on computed tomography and magnetic resonance, so the supine position (lying) is the most used. This may result in a overestimated or underestimated the radiation dose, depending on the exposure scenario adopted. Thus, the objective was to change the attitude of the male adult simulator reference ICRP 110, AM (Adult Male), to a sitting posture. For change of posture were possible, it was necessary increasing the number of slices that comprise AM simulator by reducing the height of the voxel of 8.0 mm to 2.0 mm, thus making each voxel approximately cubic. A subroutine was created in Visual Monte Carlo software (VMC) to rotate the thigh region of the simulator and position it between the region of the leg and trunk. The ScionImage software was used to rebuild and soften the contours of the knee and hip of the simulator in a sitting posture, and 3D visualization of the simulator was used VolView software. The AM simulator in the seated position has the same anatomical features of the simulator in the standing posture. Using the MCNPX code [ref] was carried out the conversion coefficients for calculating the AP irradiation geometry (anteroposterior) comparing the AM simulator standing and sitting in order to evaluate the difference scattering and absorption of radiation by the two simulators. The result shows a difference up to 100% in the fluency conversion coefficients in nearby organs located in the pelvic region and in organs with distribution in the whole body (such as skin, muscle, lymph nodes and skeletal)

  2. Foam pad of appropriate thickness can improve diagnostic value of foam posturography in detecting postural instability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Bo; Leng, Yangming; Zhou, Renhong; Liu, Jingjing; Liu, Dongdong; Liu, Jia; Zhang, Su-Lin; Kong, Wei-Jia

    2018-04-01

    The present study investigated the effect of foam thickness on postural stability in patients with unilateral vestibular hypofunction (UVH) during foam posturography. Static and foam posturography were performed in 33 patients (UVH group) and 30 healthy subjects (control group) with eyes open (EO) and closed (EC) on firm surface and on 1-5 foam pad(s). Sway velocity (SV) of center of pressure, standing time before falling (STBF) and falls reaction were recorded and analyzed. (1) SVs had an increasing tendency in both groups as the foam pads were added under EO and EC conditions. (2) STBFs, only in UVH group with EC, decreased with foam thickness increasing. (3) Significant differences in SV were found between the control and UVH group with EO (except for standing on firm surface, on 1 and 2 foam pad(s)) and with EC (all surface conditions). (4) Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the SV could better reflect the difference in postural stability between the two groups while standing on the 4 foam pads with EC. Our study showed that diagnostic value of foam posturography in detecting postural instability might be enhanced by using foam pad of right thickness.

  3. Influence of Posture and Frequency Modes in Total Body Water Estimation Using Bioelectrical Impedance Spectroscopy in Boys and Adult Males

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masaharu Kagawa

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to examine differences in total body water (TBW measured using single-frequency (SF and multi-frequency (MF modes of bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS in children and adults measured in different postures using the deuterium (2H dilution technique as the reference. Twenty-three boys and 26 adult males underwent assessment of TBW using the dilution technique and BIS measured in supine and standing positions using two frequencies of the SF mode (50 kHz and 100 kHz and the MF mode. While TBW estimated from the MF mode was comparable, extra-cellular fluid (ECF and intra-cellular fluid (ICF values differed significantly (p < 0.01 between the different postures in both groups. In addition, while estimated TBW in adult males using the MF mode was significantly (p < 0.01 greater than the result from the dilution technique, TBW estimated using the SF mode and prediction equation was significantly (p < 0.01 lower in boys. Measurement posture may not affect estimation of TBW in boys and adult males, however, body fluid shifts may still occur. In addition, technical factors, including selection of prediction equation, may be important when TBW is estimated from measured impedance.

  4. [Descending control of quiet standing and walking: a plausible neurophysiological basis of falls in elderly people].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakajima, Masashi

    2011-03-01

    Quiet standing and walking are generally considered to be an automatic process regulated by sensory feedback. In our report "Astasia without abasia due to peripheral neuropathy," which was published in 1994, we proposed that forced stepping in patients lacking the ankle torque is a compensatory motor control in order to maintain an upright posture. A statistical-biomechanics approach to the human postural control system has revealed open-loop (descending) control as well as closed-loop (feedback) control in quiet standing, and fractal dynamics in stride-to-stride fluctuations of walking. The descending control system of bipedal upright posture and gait may have a functional link to cognitive domains. Increasing dependence on the descending control system with aging may play a role in falls in elderly people.

  5. Postural steadiness during quiet stance does not associate with ability to recover balance in older women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackey, Dawn C; Robinovitch, Stephen N

    2005-10-01

    Fall risk depends on ability to maintain balance during daily activities, and on ability to recover balance following a perturbation such as a slip or trip. We examined whether similar neuromuscular variables govern these two domains of postural stability. We conducted experiments with 25 older women (mean age=78 yrs, SD=7 yrs). We acquired measures of postural steadiness during quiet stance (mean amplitude, velocity, and frequency of centre-of-pressure movement when standing with eyes open or closed, on a rigid or compliant surface). We also measured ability to recover balance using the ankle strategy after release from a forward leaning position (based on the maximum release angle where recovery was possible, and corresponding values of reaction time, rate of ankle torque generation, and peak ankle torque). We found that balance recovery variables were not strongly or consistently correlated with postural steadiness variables. The maximum release angle associated with only three of the sixteen postural steadiness variables (mean frequency in rigid, eyes open condition (r=0.36, P=.041), and mean amplitude (r=0.41, P=.038) and velocity (r=0.49, P=.015) in compliant, eyes closed condition). Reaction time and peak torque did not correlate with any steadiness variables, and rate of torque generation correlated moderately with the mean amplitude and velocity of the centre-of-pressure in the compliant, eyes closed condition (r=0.48-0.60). Our results indicate that postural steadiness during quiet stance is not predictive of ability to recover balance with the ankle strategy. Accordingly, balance assessment and fall prevention programs should individually target these two components of postural stability.

  6. Balance and postural skills in normal-weight and overweight prepubertal boys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deforche, Benedicte I; Hills, Andrew P; Worringham, Charles J; Davies, Peter S W; Murphy, Alexia J; Bouckaert, Jacques J; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse M

    2009-01-01

    This study investigated differences in balance and postural skills in normal-weight versus overweight prepubertal boys. Fifty-seven 8-10-year-old boys were categorized overweight (N = 25) or normal-weight (N = 32) according to the International Obesity Task Force cut-off points for overweight in children. The Balance Master, a computerized pressure plate system, was used to objectively measure six balance skills: sit-to-stand, walk, step up/over, tandem walk (walking on a line), unilateral stance and limits of stability. In addition, three standardized field tests were employed: standing on one leg on a balance beam, walking heel-to-toe along the beam and the multiple sit-to-stand test. Overweight boys showed poorer performances on several items assessed on the Balance Master. Overweight boys had slower weight transfer (p test, greater step width while walking (p walking on a line (p test, the unilateral stance and the limits of stability were comparable between both groups. On the balance beam, overweight boys could not hold their balance on one leg as long (p test (p < 0.001) than normal-weight boys. Finally, overweight boys were slower in standing up and sitting down five times in the multiple sit-to-stand task (p < 0.01). This study demonstrates that when categorised by body mass index (BMI) level, overweight prepubertal boys displayed lower capacity on several static and dynamic balance and postural skills.

  7. Improvement of posture stability by vibratory stimulation following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunetti, O; Filippi, G M; Lorenzini, M; Liti, A; Panichi, R; Roscini, M; Pettorossi, V E; Cerulli, G

    2006-11-01

    Surgical reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) may reduce, but it does not always eliminate, knee and body instability because of a persisting proprioceptive deficit. In order to enhance body stability, a new protocol of treatment has been proposed consisting of mechanical vibration (100 Hz frequency and < 20 microm amplitude) of the quadriceps muscle in the leg that has undergone ACL reconstruction. In our trials, stimulation was performed when the quadriceps muscle was kept isometrically contracted. Treatment was started one month after surgery. Vibration was applied for short periods over three consecutive days. Nine months after treatment, postural stability was re-evaluated with the subjects standing on one leg with open and with closed eyes. The postural stability of the subjects having undergone vibration treatment, standing on the operated leg was significantly improved one day after treatment when evaluated as mean of speed and elliptic area of the center of pressure. The improvement persisted and increased during the following weeks. Peak torques of the operated leg extensor muscles also increased and reached values close to that of the leg, which had not been operated. Conversely, the balance of the untreated subjects standing on the operated leg did not improve and the restoration of the extensor muscle peak torque was poor. It is concluded that short lasting proprioceptive activation by vibration may lead to a faster and more complete equilibrium recovery probably by permanently changing the network controlling knee posture.

  8. Associations between Tactile Sensory Threshold and Postural Performance and Effects of Healthy Aging and Subthreshold Vibrotactile Stimulation on Postural Outcomes in a Simple Dual Task

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dettmer, Marius; Pourmoghaddam, Amir; Lee, Beom-Chan; Layne, Charles S.

    2016-01-01

    Specific activities that require concurrent processing of postural and cognitive tasks may increase the risk for falls in older adults. We investigated whether peripheral receptor sensitivity was associated with postural performance in a dual-task and whether an intervention in form of subthreshold vibration could affect performance. Ten younger (age: 20–35 years) and ten older adults (70–85 years) performed repeated auditory-verbal 1-back tasks while standing quietly on a force platform. Foot sole vibration was randomly added during several trials. Several postural control and performance measures were assessed and statistically analyzed (significance set to α-levels of .05). There were moderate correlations between peripheral sensitivity and several postural performance and control measures (r = .45 to .59). Several postural performance measures differed significantly between older and younger adults (p older adults' performance in dual-tasks, and peripheral sensitivity may be a contributor to the observed differences. A vibration intervention may only be useful when there are more severe impairments of the sensorimotor system. Hence, future research regarding the efficacy of sensorimotor interventions in the form of vibrotactile stimulation should focus on older adults whose balance is significantly affected. PMID:27143967

  9. Foot posture in basketball players with history of the shin splint

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed Forghany

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Shin splint is one of the common injuries in most athletes. Although the relationship between abnormal foot posture and shin splint has been reported previously but, the relation between foot posture and shin splint has not been well documented. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between foot postures in basketball players and the history of shin splint. Materials and Methods: Thirty Iranian male basketball players who had experience of shin splint during last three months were participated in this study. Foot Posture Index (FPI-6 was used as the measure of foot posture. Talar head palpation, curvature at the lateral malleoli, inversion/eversion of the calcaneus, prominence in the region of the talonavicular joint, congruence of the medial longitudinal arch, abduction /adduction of the forefoot on the rear foot were 6 items which were assessed with FPI in the standing position. Foot posture was defined as ‘normal’, ‘supinated’ or ‘pronated. Data were collected and analyzed by SPSS, version16. Results: Most participants showed abnormal foot posture (%80. Fifty-three percent of subjects had pronated foot (%53 and 10% did hyper-pronation. The foot postures of 17% of participants were in supination. The results of this study did not show a significant difference in foot posture between right and left foot (P > 0.05. Conclusion: abnormal foot posture were common (%80 in basketball players with the history of shin splints. These findings could support this idea that the footwear and orthotic prescription both can prevent and treat basketball players with history of shin splints. Keywords: Foot posture, Shin splints, Basketball

  10. Blood pressure change does not associate with Center of Pressure movement after postural transition in geriatric outpatients

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Timmermans, Sjoerd T.; Reijnierse, Esmee M.; Pasma, J.H.; Trappenburg, Marijke C.; Blauw, Gerard J.; Maier, Andrea B.; Meskers, Carel G M

    2018-01-01

    Background: Orthostatic hypotension (OH), a blood pressure drop after postural change, is associated with impaired standing balance and falls in older adults. This study aimed to assess the association between blood pressure (BP) and a measure of quality of standing balance, i.e. Center of

  11. Letter to the Editor: On "Advantages and disadvantages of stiffness instructions when studying postural control" by C.T. Bonnet: You just can't win: Advantages and disadvantages of the postural stability requirement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lajoie, Y; Richer, N; Jehu, D A; Polskaia, N; Saunders, D

    2016-05-01

    In the examination of postural control, instructions to stand as still as possible are common and promote a relatively unnatural sway pattern. The validity of the stability requirement is discussed in the present commentary in response to the discussion initiated by Cedrick T. Bonnet. The advantages of using the stability requirement include: evaluating unbiased postural control, reducing variability in postural sway, manipulating focus of attention, examining the ability to maintain an upright stance, and ecological validity of testing. The disadvantages include: constraining natural postural sway, increasing the complexity of the control condition, promoting an internal focus of attention, and reducing the ability to detect exploratory behaviour. After evaluating the aforementioned advantages and disadvantages, the present commentary suggests that researchers should strive to provide specific instructions to maintain feet, arm and eye position without specifically requiring participants to reduce their postural sway. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on multiscale complexity of dual-task postural control in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Diange; Zhou, Junhong; Chen, Hu; Manor, Brad; Lin, Jianhao; Zhang, Jue

    2015-08-01

    Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the prefrontal cortex reduces the size and speed of standing postural sway in younger adults, particularly when performing a cognitive dual task. Here, we hypothesized that tDCS would alter the complex dynamics of postural sway as quantified by multiscale entropy (MSE). Twenty healthy older adults completed two study visits. Center-of-pressure (COP) fluctuations were recorded during single-task (i.e., quiet standing) and dual-task (i.e., standing while performing serial subtractions) conditions, both before and after a 20-min session of real or sham tDCS. MSE was used to estimate COP complexity within each condition. The percentage change in complexity from single- to dual-task conditions (i.e., dual-task cost) was also calculated. Before tDCS, COP complexity was lower (p = 0.04) in the dual-task condition as compared to the single-task condition. Neither real nor sham tDCS altered complexity in the single-task condition. As compared to sham tDCS, real tDCS increased complexity in the dual-task condition (p = 0.02) and induced a trend toward improved serial subtraction performance (p = 0.09). Moreover, those subjects with lower dual-task COP complexity at baseline exhibited greater percentage increases in complexity following real tDCS (R = -0.39, p = 0.05). Real tDCS also reduced the dual-task cost to complexity (p = 0.02), while sham stimulation had no effect. A single session of tDCS targeting the prefrontal cortex increased standing postural sway complexity with concurrent non-postural cognitive task. This form of noninvasive brain stimulation may be a safe strategy to acutely improve postural control by enhancing the system's capacity to adapt to stressors.

  13. Low back pain and postural sway during quiet standing with and without sensory manipulation: A systematic review

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mazaheri, M.; Coenen, P.; Parnianpour, M; Kiers, H.; van Dieen, J.H.

    2013-01-01

    A previous review concluded that postural sway is increased in patients with low back pain (LBP). However, more detailed analysis of the literature shows that postural deficit may be dependent on experimental conditions in which patients with LBP have been assessed. The research question to be

  14. Postural strategies assessed with inertial sensors in healthy and parkinsonian subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baston, Chiara; Mancini, Martina; Schoneburg, Bernadette; Horak, Fay; Rocchi, Laura

    2014-01-01

    The present study introduces a novel instrumented method to characterize postural movement strategies to maintain balance during stance (ankle and hip strategy), by means of inertial sensors, positioned on the legs and on the trunk. We evaluated postural strategies in subjects with 2 types of Parkinsonism: idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), and in age-matched control subjects standing under perturbed conditions implemented by the Sensory Organization Test (SOT). Coordination between the upper and lower segments of the body during postural sway was measured using a covariance index over time, by a sliding-window algorithm. Afterwards, a postural strategy index was computed. We also measured the amount of postural sway, as adjunctive information to characterize balance, by the root mean square of the horizontal trunk acceleration signal (RMS). showed that control subjects were able to change their postural strategy, whilst PSP and PD subjects persisted in use of an ankle strategy in all conditions. PD subjects had RMS values similar to control subjects even without changing postural strategy appropriately, whereas PSP subjects showed much larger RMS values than controls, resulting in several falls during the most challenging SOT conditions (5 and 6). Results are in accordance with the corresponding clinical literature describing postural behavior in the same kind of subjects. The proposed strategy index, based on the use of inertial sensors on the upper and lower body segments, is a promising and unobtrusive tool to characterize postural strategies performed to attain balance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Postural disorders and spatial neglect in stroke patients: a strong association.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pérennou, Dominic

    2006-01-01

    In this paper we analyse the arguments for a strong association between spatial neglect and postural disorders and attempt to better understand the mechanisms which underlie that. We first provide a general overview of the available tools for a rational assessment of postural control in a clinical context. We then analyse the arguments in favour of a close relationship, although not necessarily causal, between spatial neglect and: 1) body orientation with respect to gravity (including verticality perception i.e. the visual vertical, the haptic vertical, and the postural vertical); 2) body stabilisation with respect to the base of support; 3) posturographic features of stroke patients; 4) and finally their postural disability in daily life. This second part of the paper is based both on the literature review and on results of our current research. Neglect patients show a dramatic postural disability, due both to problems in body orientation with respect to gravity and to problems in body stabilisation. It might be that these problems are partly caused by a neglect phenomenon bearing on graviceptive (somaesthetic > vestibular) and visual information serving postural control. This could correspond to a kind of postural neglect involving both the bodily and nonbodily domains of spatial neglect. The existence of distorsion(s) in the body scheme are also probably involved, especially to explain the weight-bearing asymmetry in standing, and probably an impaired multisegmental postural coordination leading to an impaired body stabilisation. The present paper explains why neglect patients show longer/worse recovery of postural-walking autonomy than other stroke patients.

  16. Evaluation of postural stability of people with Parkinson's disease with Biodex Balance System device

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacek Wilczyński

    2016-10-01

    Summary Parkinson's disease is an incurable disease of the CNS of progressive and chronic course. Postural Stability of people with Parkinson's is hindered what predisposes to falls. In a person standing seemingly motionless body performs small oscillatory movements caused by differences in antigravity muscle tension. This mechanism is called postural rocking and mobility associated with it is referred to as postural sway. The parameters of rocking are very sensitive indicator of balance control, and can be used to evaluate and detect pathological changes. The aim of the study was to evaluate the stability of posture of people with Parkinson's disease on the basis of posturographic examination.The age range of the patients was from 52 to 85 years (mean 71.8 years. In terms of age the patients were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of 9 people to 75 years old, while the other of 8 people over 75 years old. The postural stability was assessed with Biodex Balance System. The study was performed at the Laboratory of Posturology at the Institute of Physiotherapy at UJK in Kielce. Although Mann-Whitney U test showed no significant differences in postural stability between the sexes, its lower values are reported for men. A standing position of the subjects was characterized by greater deviation in the sagittal plane than in the frontal plane (A/P>M/L with a tendency to tilt backwards. There were better postural stability results in the younger group (group 1, up to 75 years old. The subjects in this group obtained significantly lower values of postural stability (t°=2.2744, pM/L z tendencją do odchylania się do tyłu. Zaobserwowano lepsze wyniki stabilności posturalnej w grupie osób młodszych (grupa 1 do 75 roku życia. Badani tej grupy uzyskali istotnie niższe wartości stabilności posturalnej (t°= 2,2744, p<0,05.   Słowa kluczowe: stabilność posturalna, choroba Parkinsona, platforma Biodex Balance System

  17. Can Postural Instability Respond to Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease?

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    Hiroshi Kataoka

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS activates the vestibular afferents, and these changes in vestibular input exert a strong influence on the subject’s posture or standing balance. In patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD, vestibular dysfunction might contribute to postural instability and gait disorders. Methods Current intensity was increased to 0.7 mA, and the current was applied to the patients for 20 minutes. To perform a sham stimulation, the current intensity was increased as described and then decreased to 0 mA over the course of 10 seconds. The patient’s status was recorded continuously for 20 minutes with the patient in the supine position. Results Three out of 5 patients diagnosed with PD with postural instability and/or abnormal axial posture showed a reduction in postural instability after GVS. The score for item 12 of the revised Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part 3 was decreased in these patients. Conclusions The mechanism of postural instability is complex and not completely understood. In 2 out of the 5 patients, postural instability was not changed in response to GVS. Nonetheless, the GVS-induced change in postural instability for 3 patients in our study suggests that GVS might be a therapeutic option for postural instability.

  18. Research of Human Postural Balance Parameters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julius Griškevičius

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available In present article postural balance between subjects with stroke and healthy subjects, is being investigated with eyes opened and eyes closed. In the research participated 30 healthy subjects and 15 subjects with stroke. At the same time two experimental measurements were performed – postural balance was measured using balance platform and oscillations of the centre of mass were observed using two-axial accelerometer. It was noted, that amplitudes of subjects with stroke were larger almost two times than control group’s of healthy subjects. It was find out, that ratios of pressure distribution on both left and right legs are in range from 1 to 0.9 for healthy subjects, and ratios below 0.9 are common for subjects with stroke. When subjects were standing with eyes closed, sway amplitudes were higher and the ratios of load distribution on left and right legs were lower.Article in Lithuanian

  19. Closed loop kinesthetic feedback for postural control rehabilitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vérité, Fabien; Bachta, Wael; Morel, Guillaume

    2014-01-01

    Postural control rehabilitation may benefit from the use of smart devices providing biofeedback. This approach consists of increasing the patients perception of their postural state. Namely, postural state is monitored and fed back in real time to the patients through one or more sensory channels. This allows implementing rehabilitation exercises where the patients control their posture with the help of additional sensory inputs. In this paper, a closed loop control of the Center-Of-Pressure (CoP) based on kinesthetic feedback is proposed as a new form of biofeedback. The motion of a one Degree of Freedom (DoF) translational device, lightly touched by the patient's forefinger, is servoed to the patient's CoP position extracted from the measurements of a force plate on which he/she stands. As a result, the patient's CoP can be controllably displaced. A first set of experiments is used to prove the feasibility of this closed-loop control under ideal conditions favoring the perception of the kinesthetic feedback, while the subject is totally unaware of the context. A second set of experiments is then proposed to evaluate the robustness of this approach under experimental conditions that are more realistic with regards to the clinical context of a rehabilitation program involving biofeedback-based exercises.

  20. Cervical and shoulder postural assessment of adolescents between 15 and 17 years old and association with upper quadrant pain

    OpenAIRE

    Rodrigo M. Ruivo; Pedro Pezarat-Correia; Ana I. Carita

    2014-01-01

    Background: There is sparse literature that provides evidence of cervical and shoulder postural alignment of 15 to 17-year-old adolescents and that analyzes sex differences. Objectives: To characterize the postural alignment of the head and shoulder in the sagittal plane of 15 to 17-year-old Portuguese adolescents in natural erect standing and explore the relationships between three postural angles and presence of neck and shoulder pain. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in two...

  1. Postural behaviour in gilts housed on concrete and rubber slats during four seasons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Željko Pavičić

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available In the present study, postural behaviour was compared between gilts kept in service unit with different types of flooring during all seasons. The study included four 28-day production cycles and 10 gilts per cycle, equally divided into a control and an experimental group. Control gilts were housed in gestation stalls with slatted concrete floor, whereas in the experimental group the floor was covered with an adjusted rubber mat. Postural behaviour of gilts was observed 4 times per cycle for 4 hours. Study results showed that during cooler seasons, gilts in concrete stalls spent more time standing and lying sternally, whereas gilts in matted stalls were mostly lying, predominantly laterally (P<0.001 all. There were no significant between group differences according to the time the gilts spent sitting or the frequency of changing posture in any season observed. Nevertheless, experimental animals spent significantly less time changing standing to both lying positions during all seasons (P<0.01 all. In conclusion, rubber mats may improve lying comfort in gilts; however, when using rubber mats, the house thermal conditions should be taken in consideration.

  2. Clinical correlates of between-limb synchronization of standing balance control and falls during inpatient stroke rehabilitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansfield, Avril; Mochizuki, George; Inness, Elizabeth L; McIlroy, William E

    2012-01-01

    Stroke-related sensorimotor impairment potentially contributes to impaired balance. Balance measures that reveal underlying limb-specific control problems, such as a measure of the synchronization of both lower limbs to maintain standing balance, may be uniquely informative about poststroke balance control. This study aimed to determine the relationships between clinical measures of sensorimotor control, functional balance, and fall risk and between-limb synchronization of balance control. The authors conducted a retrospective chart review of 100 individuals with stroke admitted to inpatient rehabilitation. Force plate-based measures were obtained while standing on 2 force plates, including postural sway (root mean square of anteroposterior and mediolateral center of pressure [COP]), stance load asymmetry (percentage of body weight borne on the less-loaded limb), and between-limb synchronization (cross-correlation of the COP recordings under each foot). Clinical measures obtained were motor impairment (Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment), plantar cutaneous sensation, functional balance (Berg Balance Scale), and falls experienced in rehabilitation. Synchronization was significantly related to motor impairment and prospective falls, even when controlling for other force plate-based measures of standing balance control (ie, postural sway and stance load symmetry). Between-limb COP synchronization for standing balance appears to be a uniquely important index of balance control, independent of postural sway and load symmetry during stance.

  3. Vibrotactile Feedback Alters Dynamics Of Static Postural Control In Persons With Parkinson's Disease But Not Older Adults At High Fall Risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    High, Carleigh M; McHugh, Hannah F; Mills, Stephen C; Amano, Shinichi; Freund, Jane E; Vallabhajosula, Srikant

    2018-06-01

    Aging and Parkinson's disease are often associated with impaired postural control. Providing extrinsic feedback via vibrotactile sensation could supplement intrinsic feedback to maintain postural control. We investigated the postural control response to vibrotactile feedback provided at the trunk during challenging stance conditions in older adults at high fall risk and individuals with Parkinson's disease compared to healthy older adults. Nine older adults at high fall risk, 9 persons with Parkinson's disease and 10 healthy older adults performed 30s quiet standing on a force platform under five challenging stance conditions with eyes open/closed and standing on firm/foam surface with feet together, each with and without vibrotactile feedback. During vibrotactile feedback trials, feedback was provided when participants swayed >10% over the center of their base of support. Participants were instructed vibrations would be in response to their movement. Magnitude of postural sway was estimated using center of pressure path length, velocity, and sway area. Dynamics of individuals' postural control was evaluated using detrended fluctuation analysis. Results showed that vibrotactile feedback induced a change in postural control dynamics among persons with Parkinson's disease when standing with intact intrinsic visual input and altered intrinsic somatosensory input, but there was no change in sway magnitude. However, use of vibrotactile feedback did not significantly alter dynamics of postural control in older adults with high risk of falling or reduce the magnitude of sway. Considering the effects of vibrotactile feedback were dependent on the population and stance condition, designing an optimal therapeutic regimen for balance training should be carefully considered and be specific to a target population. Furthermore, our results suggest that explicit instructions on how to respond to the vibrotactile feedback could affect training outcome. Copyright © 2018 The

  4. Postural Control in Children, Teenagers and Adults with Down Syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rigoldi, Chiara; Galli, Manuela; Mainardi, Luca; Crivellini, Marcello; Albertini, Giorgio

    2011-01-01

    The goal of this work was to analyze postural control in Down syndrome (DS) participants considering three different groups composed by children, teenagers and adults with DS. An analysis of the centre of pressure (COP) displacement during standing position was therefore performed for the three groups of subjects. The obtained signal of COP was…

  5. Carrying shopping bags does not alter static postural stability and gait parameters in healthy older females.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bampouras, Theodoros M; Dewhurst, Susan

    2016-05-01

    Food shopping is an important aspect of maintaining independence and social interaction in older age. Carriage of shopping bags alters the body's weight distribution which, depending on load distribution, could potentially increase instability during standing and walking. The study examined the effect of carrying UK style shopping bags on static postural stability and gait in healthy older and young females. Nine older (71.0±6.0 years) and 10 young (26.7±5.2 years) females were assessed in five conditions carrying no bags, one 1.5kg bag in each hand, one 3kg bag in each hand, one 1.5kg bag in preferred hand, one 3kg bag in preferred hand. Antero-posterior and medio-lateral displacement, and 95% ellipse area from a 30s quiet standing were used for postural stability assessment. Stride length and its coefficient of variation, total double support time, step asymmetry and gait stability ratio were calculated from 1min treadmill walking at self-selected speed for gait assessment. Carrying shopping bags did not negatively affect postural stability or gait variables, in either group. Further, in older individuals, a decrease in sway velocity was found when holding bags during the postural stability assessment (pbags, irrespective of the load distribution, may have a stabilising effect during quiet standing. These results should help to alleviate concerns regarding safety of carrying shopping bags and help encourage shopping, both as a social and as a physical activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Regularity of Center of Pressure Trajectories in Expert Gymnasts during Bipedal Closed-Eyes Quiet Standing

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    Brice Isableu

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available We compared postural control of expert gymnasts (G to that of non-gymnasts (NG during bipedal closed-eyes quiet standing using conventional and nonlinear dynamical measures of center of foot pressure (COP trajectories. Earlier findings based on COP classical variables showed that gymnasts exhibited a better control of postural balance but only in demanding stances. We examined whether the effect of expertise in Gymnastic can be uncovered in less demanding stances, from the analysis of the dynamic patterns of COP trajectories. Three dependent variables were computed to describe the subject’s postural behavior: the variability of COP displacements (ACoP, the variability of the COP velocities (VCoP and the sample entropy of COP (SEnCoP to quantify COP regularity (i.e., predictability. Conventional analysis of COP trajectories showed that NG and G exhibited similar amount and control of postural sway, as indicated by similar ACoP and VCoP values observed in NG and G, respectively. These results suggest that the specialized balance training received by G may not transfer to less challenging balance conditions such as the bipedal eyes-closed stance condition used in the present experiment. Interestingly, nonlinear dynamical analysis of COP trajectories regarding COP regularity showed that G exhibited more irregular COP fluctuations relative to NG, as indicated by the higher SEnCoP values observed for the G than for the NG. The present results showed that a finer-grained analysis of the dynamic patterns of the COP displacements is required to uncover an effect of gymnastic expertise on postural control in nondemanding postural stance. The present findings shed light on the surplus value in the nonlinear dynamical analysis of COP trajectories to gain further insight into the mechanisms involved in the control of bipedal posture.

  7. Spinal curvature and characteristics of postural change in pregnant women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okanishi, Natsuko; Kito, Nobuhiro; Akiyama, Mitoshi; Yamamoto, Masako

    2012-07-01

    Pregnant women often report complaints due to physiological and postural changes. Postural changes during pregnancy may cause low back pain and pelvic girdle pain. This study aimed to compare the characteristics of postural changes in pregnant compared with non-pregnant women. Prospective case-control study. Pregnancy care center. Fifteen women at 17-34 weeks pregnancy comprised the study group, while 10 non-pregnant female volunteers comprised the control group. Standing posture was evaluated in the sagittal plane with static digital pictures. Two angles were measured by image analysis software: (1) between the trunk and pelvis; and (2) between the trunk and lower extremity. Spinal curvature was measured with Spinal Mouse® to calculate the means of sacral inclination, thoracic and lumbar curvature and inclination. The principal components were calculated until eigenvalues surpassed 1. Three distinct factors with eigenvalues of 1.00-2.49 were identified, consistent with lumbosacral spinal curvature and inclination, thoracic spine curvature, and inclination of the body. These factors accounted for 77.2% of the total variance in posture variables. Eleven pregnant women showed postural characteristics of lumbar kyphosis and sacral posterior inclination. Body inclination showed a variety of patterns compared with those in healthy women. Spinal curvature demonstrated a tendency for lumbar kyphosis in pregnant women. Pregnancy may cause changes in spinal curvature and posture, which may in turn lead to relevant symptoms. Our data provide a basis for investigating the effects of spinal curvature and postural changes on symptoms during pregnancy. © 2012 The Authors Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica© 2012 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

  8. Associations between Tactile Sensory Threshold and Postural Performance and Effects of Healthy Aging and Subthreshold Vibrotactile Stimulation on Postural Outcomes in a Simple Dual Task

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marius Dettmer

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Specific activities that require concurrent processing of postural and cognitive tasks may increase the risk for falls in older adults. We investigated whether peripheral receptor sensitivity was associated with postural performance in a dual-task and whether an intervention in form of subthreshold vibration could affect performance. Ten younger (age: 20–35 years and ten older adults (70–85 years performed repeated auditory-verbal 1-back tasks while standing quietly on a force platform. Foot sole vibration was randomly added during several trials. Several postural control and performance measures were assessed and statistically analyzed (significance set to α-levels of .05. There were moderate correlations between peripheral sensitivity and several postural performance and control measures (r=.45 to .59. Several postural performance measures differed significantly between older and younger adults (p<0.05; addition of vibration did not affect outcome measures. Aging affects healthy older adults’ performance in dual-tasks, and peripheral sensitivity may be a contributor to the observed differences. A vibration intervention may only be useful when there are more severe impairments of the sensorimotor system. Hence, future research regarding the efficacy of sensorimotor interventions in the form of vibrotactile stimulation should focus on older adults whose balance is significantly affected.

  9. Development of polygonal surface version of ICRP reference phantoms: Preliminary study for posture change

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen, Tat Thang; Yeom, Yeon Soo; Han, Min Cheol; Kim, Chan Hyeong

    2013-01-01

    Even though International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) officially adopted a set of adult male and female voxel phantoms as the ICRP reference phantoms, there are several critical limitations due to the nature of voxel geometry and their low voxel resolutions. In order to overcome these limitations of the ICRP phantoms, we are currently developing polygonal surface version of ICRP reference phantoms by directly converting the ICRP voxel phantoms to polygonal surface geometries. Among the many advantages of the ICRP polygonal surface phantom, especially, it is flexible and deformable. In principle, it is, therefore, possible to make the posture-changed ICRP phantoms which can provide more accurate dose values for exposure situations strongly relevant to worker's postures. As a preliminary study for developing the posture-changed ICRP phantoms, in this work we changed the posture of the preliminary version of ICRP male polygon-surface phantom constructed in the previous study. Organ doses were then compared between original and posture-changed phantoms. In the present study, we successfully changed a posture of the preliminary version of ICRP male polygon-surface phantom to the walking posture. From this results, it was explicitly shown that the polygon-surface version of the ICRP phantoms can be sufficiently modified to be various postures with the posture-changing method used in this study. In addition, it was demonstrated that phantom's posture must be considered in certain exposure situations, which can differ dose values from the conventional standing-posture phantom

  10. Postural imbalance and falls in PSP correlate with functional pathology of the thalamus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zwergal, A; la Fougère, C; Lorenzl, S; Rominger, A; Xiong, G; Deutschenbaur, L; Linn, J; Krafczyk, S; Dieterich, M; Brandt, T; Strupp, M; Bartenstein, P; Jahn, K

    2011-07-12

    To determine how postural imbalance and falls are related to regional cerebral glucose metabolism (PET) and functional activation of the cerebral postural network (fMRI) in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Sixteen patients with PSP, who had self-monitored their frequency of falls, underwent a standardized clinical assessment, posturographic measurement of balance during modified sensory input, and a resting [¹⁸F]FDG-PET. In addition, patients performed an fMRI paradigm using mental imagery of standing. Results were compared to healthy controls (n = 16). The frequency of falls/month in patients (range 1-40) correlated with total PSP rating score (r = 0.90). Total sway path in PSP significantly correlated with frequency of falls, especially during modulated sensory input (eyes open: r = 0.62, eyes closed: r = 0.67, eyes open/head extended: r = 0.84, eyes open/foam-padded platform: r = 0.87). Higher sway path values and frequency of falls were associated with decreased regional glucose metabolism (rCGM) in the thalamus (sway path: r = -0.80, falls: r = -0.64) and increased rCGM in the precentral gyrus (sway path: r = 0.79, falls: r = 0.64). Mental imagery of standing during fMRI revealed a reduced activation of the mesencephalic brainstem tegmentum and the thalamus in patients with postural imbalance and falls. The new and clinically relevant finding of this study is that imbalance and falls in PSP are closely associated with thalamic dysfunction. Deficits in thalamic postural control get most evident when balance is assessed during modified sensory input. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that reduced thalamic activation via the ascending brainstem projections may cause postural imbalance in PSP.

  11. SEMG analysis of astronaut upper arm during isotonic muscle actions with normal standing posture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qianxiang, Zhou; Chao, Ma; Xiaohui, Zheng

    sEMG analysis of astronaut upper arm during isotonic muscle actions with normal standing posture*1 Introduction Now the research on the isotonic muscle actions by using Surface Electromyography (sEMG) is becoming a pop topic in fields of astronaut life support training and rehabilitations. And researchers paid more attention on the sEMG signal processes for reducing the influence of noise which is produced during monitoring process and the fatigue estimation of isotonic muscle actions with different force levels by using the parameters which are obtained from sEMG signals such as Condition Velocity(CV), Median Frequency(MDF), Mean Frequency(MNF) and so on. As the lucubrated research is done, more and more research on muscle fatigue issue of isotonic muscle actions are carried out with sEMG analysis and subjective estimate system of Borg scales at the same time. In this paper, the relationship between the variable for fatigue based on sEMG and the Borg scale during the course of isotonic muscle actions of the upper arm with different contraction levels are going to be investigated. Methods 13 young male subjects(23.4±2.45years, 64.7±5.43Kg, 171.7±5.41cm) with normal standing postures were introduced to do isotonic actions of the upper arm with different force levels(10% MVC, 30%MVC and 50%MVC). And the MVC which means maximal voluntary contraction was obtained firstly in the experiment. Also the sEMG would be recorded during the experiments; the Borg scales would be recorded for each contraction level. By using one-third band octave method, the fatigue variable (p) based on sEMG were set up and it was expressed as p = i g(fi ) · F (fi ). And g(fi ) is defined as the frequent factor which was 0.42+0.5 cos(π fi /f0 )+0.08 cos(2π fi /f0 ), 0 f0 . According to the equations, the p could be computed and the relationship between variable p and the Borg scale would be investigated. Results In the research, three kinds of fitted curves between variable p and Borg

  12. The Effect of Fatigue and Instability on Postural Control Parameters in Standing Posture in Healthy Adults and Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amir Hosein Kahlaee

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: This study aims at analyzing the effect of fatigue and instability on postural control parameters in both healthy people and patients with the chronic nonspecific low-back pain.Materials and Methods: In this non-experimental case-control study, oscillations of center of pressure were statistically analyzed in 16 healthy people and 15 patients with the chronic nonspecific low back pain. The analysis was conducted through two stages: before and after fatigue and under both stable and unstable surfaces. Results: Under the pre-fatigue, stable condition, there was not any difference between the two groups. Both fatigue and unstable surface changed our variables (sway area, range, velocity, frequency and total power of the signal. All the changes in variables were significant in the low-back pain group; while changes in the healthy group only covered the time-domain variables. The effect of instability was higher than that of fatigue. Conclusion: The postural control system for patients with low-back pain before fatigue and under stable condition, revealed sufficient competence to provide postural stability and its function cannot be differentiated from that in healthy people. Meanwhile, different mechanisms were used by these patients to confront stability challenging factors and further neural activity was required to counteract such factors.

  13. Postural Control in Workplace Safety: Role of Occupational Footwear and Workload

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harish Chander

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Maintaining postural stability is crucial, especially in hazardous occupational environments. The purpose of the study was to assess the role of three occupational footwear (low top shoe (LT; tactical work boot (TB and steel-toed work boot (WB on postural stability when exposed to an occupational workload (4-h involving standing/walking using the sensory organization test (SOT equilibrium (EQ scores and comparing current results with previously published postural sway variables from the same study. Fourteen male adults were tested on three separate days wearing a randomized occupational footwear, at the beginning (pre and every 30 min of the 4-h workload until 240th min. SOT EQ scores were analyzed using a 3 × 9 repeated measures analysis of variance at an alpha level of 0.05. Significant differences between footwear was found in eyes open (p = 0.03 and eyes closed (p = 0.001 conditions. Pairwise comparisons revealed that LT had significantly lower postural stability compared to TB and WB. No other significant differences were found between footwear and over time. Significant differences between footwear can be attributed to design characteristics of footwear. Lack of significant differences over time suggests that, even though the average EQ scores decreased during the workload implying less postural stability, SOT EQ scores alone may not be sufficient to detect postural stability changes over the 4-h workload.

  14. ANALISIS KETIGGIAN MEJA KERJA YANG IDEAL TERHADAP POSTUR PEKERJA DIVISI CUTTING INDUSTRI GARMEN DENGAN POSTURE EVALUATION (PEI PADA VIRTUAL ENVIROMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Boy Nurtjahyo

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Penelitian ini mencoba untuk mengimplementasikan suatu metodologi untuk mempelajari, dalam lingkungan virtual, aspek ergonomi dari suatu tempat kerja di industri garmen. Variabel tempat kerja yang diteliti dalam penelitian ini adalah ketinggian meja kerja. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mendapatkan konfigurasi ketinggian meja yang ideal bagi pekerja divisi cutting industri garmen. Tool yang digunakan dalam menyelesaikan skripsi ini adalah Posture Evaluation Index yang mengintegrasikan skor Low Back Analysis (LBA, Ovako Working Posture (OWAS, dan Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA. Penentuan konfigurasi yang ideal dilakukan dengan mempertimbangkan jenis pekerjaan dan posisi kerja ketika melakukan pekerjaan tersebut, apakah dalam posisi duduk atau berdiri. Analisis dilakukan dengan menggunakan model manusia digital yang disediakan software Jack pada virtual environment. Hasil penelitian dapat digunakan sebagai referensi dalam merancang tempat kerja yang lebih baik secara ergonomis. Kata kunci : Ergonomi, Virtual Environment, Divisi Cutting  Industri Garmen, Posture Evaluation Index   Abstract   The research deals with the implementation of a methodology in order to study, in a virtual environment, the ergonomics of a work cell in garment industry. The work cell’s variable studied in this research is table height. The goal of this research is to determine an ideal table height for the workers of cutting division in garment industry. The tool to conduct this research is called Posture Evaluation Index (PEI which integrates the score of Low Back Analysis (LBA, Ovako Working Posture (OWAS, dan Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA. The Determination of table height configuration is based on type of work and work position (standing or sitting. The research uses digital human model form Jack software in a virtual environment. The result from this research can be a reference for future work cell design. Keywords: Ergonomics, Virtual Environment, Cutting

  15. Cinerama sickness and postural instability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bos, Jelte E; Ledegang, Wietse D; Lubeck, Astrid J A; Stins, John F

    2013-01-01

    Motion sickness symptoms and increased postural instability induced by motion pictures have been reported in a laboratory, but not in a real cinema. We, therefore, carried out an observational study recording sickness severity and postural instability in 19 subjects before, immediately and 45 min after watching a 1 h 3D aviation documentary in a cinema. Sickness was significantly larger right after the movie than before, and in a lesser extent still so after 45 min. The average standard deviation of the lateral centre of pressure excursions was significantly larger only right afterwards. When low-pass filtered at 0.1 Hz, lateral and for-aft excursions were both significantly larger right after the movie, while for-aft excursions then remained larger even after 45 min. Speculating on previous findings, we predict more sickness and postural instability in 3D than in 2D movies, also suggesting a possible, but yet unknown risk for work-related activities and vehicle operation. Watching motion pictures may be sickening and posturally destabilising, but effects in a cinema are unknown. We, therefore, carried out an observational study showing that sickness then is mainly an issue during the exposure while postural instability is an issue afterwards.

  16. Sit-stand desks in call centres: associations of use and ergonomics awareness with sedentary behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Straker, Leon; Abbott, Rebecca A; Heiden, Marina; Mathiassen, Svend Erik; Toomingas, Allan

    2013-07-01

    To investigate whether or not use of sit-stand desks and awareness of the importance of postural variation and breaks are associated with the pattern of sedentary behavior in office workers. The data came from a cross-sectional observation study of Swedish call centre workers. Inclinometers recorded 'seated' or 'standing/walking' episodes of 131 operators over a full work shift. Differences in sedentary behavior based on desk type and awareness of the importance of posture variation and breaks were assessed by non-parametric analyses. 90 (68.7%) operators worked at a sit-stand desk. Working at a sit-stand desk, as opposed to a sit desk, was associated with less time seated (78.5 vs 83.8%, p = 0.010), and less time taken to accumulate 5 min of standing/walking (36.2 vs 46.3 min, p = 0.022), but no significant difference to sitting episode length or the number of switches between sitting and standing/walking per hour. Ergonomics awareness was not associated with any sedentary pattern variable among those using a sit-stand desk. Use of sit-stand desks was associated with better sedentary behavior in call centre workers, however ergonomics awareness did not enhance the effect. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  17. Older adults prioritize postural stability in the anterior-posterior direction to regain balance following volitional lateral step.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porter, Shaun; Nantel, Julie

    2015-02-01

    Postural control in the medial-lateral (ML) direction is of particular interest regarding the assessment of changes in postural control, as it is highly related to the risk of falling. To determine the postural strategies used to regain balance following a voluntary lateral step and compare these strategies between young and older adults. Sixteen older adults (60-90 years) and 14 young adults (20-40 years) were asked to stand quietly for 30s, walk in place and then take a lateral step and stand quietly (30s). Balance Post was divided into 10s intervals. Center of pressure displacement (CoP) and velocity (VCoP) in the anterio-posterior (AP) and ML directions were analyzed. In both groups, CoP and VCoP in AP and ML increased in Post1 compared to Pre (Padults, VCoP-Post2, Post3 ML were larger than Pre (P=0.01) in older adults. Age correlated with all VCoP (Pre and Post) in both ML (Padults, older adults use different postural strategies in ML and AP directions and prioritized postural stability in the AP direction to recover balance after completing a lateral step. In the ML direction, older adults took up to 30s to regain balance. Considering that age was related to larger CoP displacement and velocity, the AP strategy to recover postural balance following a lateral step could become less efficient as older adults age and therefore increasing the risk of falls. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Improvement in automatic postural coordination following alexander technique lessons in a person with low back pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cacciatore, Timothy W; Horak, Fay B; Henry, Sharon M

    2005-06-01

    The relationship between abnormal postural coordination and back pain is unclear. The Alexander Technique (AT) aims to improve postural coordination by using conscious processes to alter automatic postural coordination and ongoing muscular activity, and it has been reported to reduce low back pain. This case report describes the use of the AT with a client with low back pain and the observed changes in automatic postural responses and back pain. The client was a 49-year-old woman with a 25-year history of left-sided, idiopathic, lumbrosacral back pain. Automatic postural coordination was measured using a force plate during horizontal platform translations and one-legged standing. The client was tested monthly for 4 months before AT lessons and for 3 months after lessons. Before lessons, she consistently had laterally asymmetric automatic postural responses to translations. After AT lessons, the magnitude and asymmetry of her responses and balance improved and her low back pain decreased. Further research is warranted to study whether AT lessons improve low back pain-associated abnormalities in automatic postural coordination and whether improving automatic postural coordination helps to reduce low back pain.

  19. Influence of musical groove on postural sway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Jessica M; Warlaumont, Anne S; Abney, Drew H; Rigoli, Lillian M; Balasubramaniam, Ramesh

    2016-03-01

    Timescales of postural fluctuation reflect underlying neuromuscular processes in balance control that are influenced by sensory information and the performance of concurrent cognitive and motor tasks. An open question is how postural fluctuations entrain to complex environmental rhythms, such as in music, which also vary on multiple timescales. Musical groove describes the property of music that encourages auditory-motor synchronization and is used to study voluntary motor entrainment to rhythmic sounds. The influence of groove on balance control mechanisms remains unexplored. We recorded fluctuations in center of pressure (CoP) of standing participants (N = 40) listening to low and high groove music and during quiet stance. We found an effect of musical groove on radial sway variability, with the least amount of variability in the high groove condition. In addition, we observed that groove influenced postural sway entrainment at various temporal scales. For example, with increasing levels of groove, we observed more entrainment to shorter, local timescale rhythmic musical occurrences. In contrast, we observed more entrainment to longer, global timescale features of the music, such as periodicity, with decreasing levels of groove. Finally, musical experience influenced the amount of postural variability and entrainment at local and global timescales. We conclude that groove in music and musical experience can influence the neural mechanisms that govern balance control, and discuss implications of our findings in terms of multiscale sensorimotor coupling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  20. Dual task and postural control in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larissa Pires de Andrade

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Patients with neurodegenerative diseases are required to use cognitive resources while maintaining postural control. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a frontal cognitive task on postural control in patients with Alzheimer, Parkinson and controls. Thirty-eight participants were instructed to stand upright on a force platform in two experimental conditions: single and dual task. Participants with Parkinson's disease presented an increase in the coefficient of variation greater than 100% in the dual task as compared to the single task for center of pressure (COP area and COP path. In addition, patients with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease had a higher number of errors during the execution of the cognitive task when compared to the group of elderly without neurodegenerative diseases. The motor cortex, which is engaged in postural control, does not seem to compete with frontal brain regions in the performance of the cognitive task. However, patients with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease presented worsened performance in cognitive task.

  1. Objectively measured daily physical activity and postural changes as related to positive and negative affect using ambulatory monitoring assessments

    OpenAIRE

    Aggio, D; Wallace, K; Boreham, N; Shankar, A; Steptoe, A; Hamer, M

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objective The aim of the study was to determine whether objectively measured daily physical activity and posture of sitting, standing, and sit-to-stand transitions are associated with daily assessments of affect. Methods Participants (N = 51, 49% female) wore ActivPal accelerometers for 24 h/d for seven consecutive days. Time spent sitting, standing, and being physically active and sit-to-stand transitions were derived for each day. Participants also completed a mood inventory each e...

  2. Objectively Measured Daily Physical Activity and Postural Changes as Related to Positive and Negative Affect Using Ambulatory Monitoring Assessments

    OpenAIRE

    Aggio, D.; Wallace, K.; Boreham, N.; Shankar, A.; Steptoe, A.; Hamer, M.

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine whether objectively measured daily physical activity and posture of sitting, standing, and sit-to-stand transitions are associated with daily assessments of affect. METHODS: Participants (N = 51, 49% female) wore ActivPal accelerometers for 24 h/d for seven consecutive days. Time spent sitting, standing, and being physically active and sit-to-stand transitions were derived for each day. Participants also completed a mood inventory each evening....

  3. Postural balance in low back pain patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maribo, Thomas; Stengaard-Pedersen, Kristian; Jensen, Lone Donbæk

    2011-01-01

    Low back pain (LBP) patients have poorer postural control compared to healthy controls, and the importance of assessing and addressing balance is a matter of debate. In the clinic, balance is often tested by means of the one leg stand test (OLST) while research often employs center of pressure (Co......P) on a force platform. Portable force platforms might be of clinical relevance, but their reliability for LBP patients in a clinical setting has not been demonstrated. As LBP patients are more dependent on vision compared to healthy controls, the ratio of tests performed with eyes open and eyes closed (Romberg...... Ratio) might be of clinical interest. This study aimed to assess postural balance in LBP patients by analyzing intra-session reliability of CoP parameters on a portable force platform, the Romberg Ratio, and the OLST. Furthermore, we aimed to determine whether CoP parameters and OLST measure identical...

  4. Responsiveness of Static and Dynamic Postural Balance Measures in Patients with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Following Physiotherapy Intervention

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neda Mostafaee

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Background:The main goal of physiotherapy for patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R is to improve postural control and retain knee function. Therefore, clinicians need to use evaluative tools that assess postural changes during physiotherapy. To maximize the clinical utility of the results of these tools, the extracted measures should have appropriate psychometric properties of reliability, validity and responsiveness. No study has yet addressed responsiveness of postural measures in these patients. This study was designed to investigate the responsiveness and determine the minimal clinically important changes (MCIC of static and dynamic postural measures in patients with (ACL-R following physiotherapy. Methods: Static and dynamic postural measures were evaluated at first occasion and again after four weeks physiotherapy. The static measures consisted of center of pressure (COP parameters while dynamic measures included the stability indices. Correlation analysis and ROC curve were applied for assessing the responsiveness. Results:The meanand SD velocity of COP had acceptable responsiveness in both conditions of standing on injured leg with open-eyes and on uninjured leg with closed-eyes, both with nocognitive task. For dynamic measures, stability indices in double-leg standing with closed-eyes with cognitive task condition attained acceptable responsiveness. MCICs for mean and SD velocity in anteroposterior and mediolateral directions were 0.28cm/s, 0.008cm/s, 0.02cm/s, respectively in standing on injured leg with open-eyes; and 0.14cm/s, 0.07cm/s, 0.06cm/s, respectively in uninjured leg with closed-eyes condition. Also, MCICs for anteroposterior, mediolateral and total stability indices were 0.51◦, 0.37◦, 0.34◦, respectively in DCT condition. Conclusion:Our findings provide evidence for selection of appropriate static and dynamic postural measures for assessment of changes in these patients. MCICs for these

  5. Altered Visual and Feet Proprioceptive Feedbacks during Quiet Standing Increase Postural Sway in Patients with Severe Knee Osteoarthritis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hirata, Rogerio Pessoto; Jørgensen, Tanja Schjødt; Rosager, Sara

    2013-01-01

    The objective was to investigate how postural control in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients, with different structural severities and pain levels, is reorganized under different sensory conditions.......The objective was to investigate how postural control in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients, with different structural severities and pain levels, is reorganized under different sensory conditions....

  6. Size-Prediction Analysis for Stand-Alone Photovoltaic System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erusiafe, N. E.; Chendo, M. A. C.

    2002-01-01

    The cost - effectiveness of photovoltaic (PV) generator depends, among others, on its ability to satisfy energy demand and the cost of achieving this. In this work a step - by - step procedure for predicting the size of the main components of a stand - alone PV system (array and storage) is presented. The results yield an expression which can he used lo determine the size of both components at optimum cost and desired reliability. The result from this work compare favourably with some earlier works in that, the system sizes shows some degree of agreement

  7. Postural response to predictable and nonpredictable visual flow in children and adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmuckler, Mark A

    2017-11-01

    Children's (3-5years) and adults' postural reactions to different conditions of visual flow information varying in its frequency content was examined using a moving room apparatus. Both groups experienced four conditions of visual input: low-frequency (0.20Hz) visual oscillations, high-frequency (0.60Hz) oscillations, multifrequency nonpredictable visual input, and no imposed visual information. Analyses of the frequency content of anterior-posterior (AP) sway revealed that postural reactions to the single-frequency conditions replicated previous findings; children were responsive to low- and high-frequency oscillations, whereas adults were responsive to low-frequency information. Extending previous work, AP sway in response to the nonpredictable condition revealed that both groups were responsive to the different components contained in the multifrequency visual information, although adults retained their frequency selectivity to low-frequency versus high-frequency content. These findings are discussed in relation to work examining feedback versus feedforward control of posture, and the reweighting of sensory inputs for postural control, as a function of development and task context. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Age-related effects on postural control under multi-task conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granacher, Urs; Bridenbaugh, Stephanie A; Muehlbauer, Thomas; Wehrle, Anja; Kressig, Reto W

    2011-01-01

    Changes in postural sway and gait patterns due to simultaneously performed cognitive (CI) and/or motor interference (MI) tasks have previously been reported and are associated with an increased risk of falling in older adults. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of a CI and/or MI task on static and dynamic postural control in young and elderly subjects, and to find out whether there is an association between measures of static and dynamic postural control while concurrently performing the CI and/or MI task. A total of 36 healthy young (n = 18; age: 22.3 ± 3.0 years; BMI: 21.0 ± 1.6 kg/m(2)) and elderly adults (n = 18; age: 73.5 ± 5.5 years; BMI: 24.2 ± 2.9 kg/m(2)) participated in this study. Static postural control was measured during bipedal stance, and dynamic postural control was obtained while walking on an instrumented walkway. Irrespective of the task condition, i.e. single-task or multiple tasks, elderly participants showed larger center-of-pressure displacements and greater stride-to-stride variability than younger participants. Associations between measures of static and dynamic postural control were found only under the single-task condition in the elderly. Age-related deficits in the postural control system seem to be primarily responsible for the observed results. The weak correlations detected between static and dynamic measures could indicate that fall-risk assessment should incorporate dynamic measures under multi-task conditions, and that skills like erect standing and walking are independent of each other and may have to be trained complementarily. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  9. Sitting and standing blood pressure measurements are not accurate for the diagnosis of orthostatic hypotension.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Cooke, J

    2012-01-31

    INTRODUCTION: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is associated with troublesome symptoms and increased mortality. It is treatable and deserving of accurate diagnosis. This can be time consuming. The current reference standard for its diagnosis is head-up tilt (HUT) testing with continuous beat-to-beat plethysmography. Our objective was to assess the accuracy of sit-stand testing with semi-automatic sphygmomanometry for the diagnosis of OH. DESIGN: Retrospective test of diagnostic accuracy. METHODS: This was a retrospective study performed using a database maintained by a busy syncope unit. HUT testing was performed using an automated tilt table with Finometer monitoring. A 3 min 70 degrees HUT was performed following 5 min supine. Sitting blood pressure (BP) was measured following 3 min rest. Standing BP was measured within 30 s of assuming the upright posture. The results of sit-stand testing were compared with HUT testing as a reference standard. Both tests happened within 5 min of each other and patients underwent no intervention between tests. RESULTS: From a total of 1452 consecutive HUTs, we identified 730 with pre-test measures of sitting and standing BP. The mean age of this group was 70.57 years (SD = 15.1), 62% were female. The sensitivity of sit-stand testing was calculated as 15.5%, specificity as 89.9%, positive predictive value as 61.7%, negative predictive value as 50.2% and the likelihood ratio as 1.6. The area under the Receiver Operator Curve was 0.564. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated that sit-stand testing for OH has very low diagnostic accuracy. We recommend that the more time-consuming reference standard method of diagnosis be used if the condition is suspected.

  10. Creative Dance Practice Improves Postural Control in a Child With Cerebral Palsy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stribling, Kate; Christy, Jennifer

    2017-10-01

    To investigate the effect of creative dance instruction on postural control and balance in an 11-year-old with spastic triplegic cerebral palsy, Gross Motor Function Classification Scale level II. We conducted 1-hour dance interventions twice weekly for 8 weeks, with a focus on somatosensory awareness and movement in all planes of motion. Computerized dynamic posturography using the SMART Balance Master/EquiTest (NeuroCom) was used to assess postural control and balance reactions before the first class and following the final class. Gains in standing stability, balance recovery, directional control, and endpoint excursion of movement were found. Participation in creative dance lessons appears to improve somatosensory effectiveness and postural control in a child with cerebral palsy. Dance is a fun way to improve balance and coordination. These interventions could be easily implemented into programs for children with cerebral palsy.

  11. Postural stability and ankle sprain history in athletes compared to uninjured controls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huurnink, Arnold; Fransz, Duncan P; Kingma, Idsart; Verhagen, Evert A L M; van Dieën, Jaap H

    2014-02-01

    Diminished postural stability is a risk factor for ankle sprain occurrence and ankle sprains result in impaired postural stability. To date, ankle sprain history has not been taken into account as a determinant of postural stability, while it could possibly specify subgroups of interest. Postural stability was compared between 18 field hockey athletes who had recovered from an ankle sprain (mean (SD); 3.6 (1.5) months post-injury), and 16 uninjured controls. Force plate and kinematics parameters were calculated during single-leg standing: mean center of pressure speed, mean absolute horizontal ground reaction force, mean absolute ankle angular velocity, and mean absolute hip angular velocity. Additionally, cluster analysis was applied to the 'injured' participants, and the cluster with diminished postural stability was compared to the other participants with respect to ankle sprain history. MANCOVA showed no significant difference between groups in postural stability (P = 0.68). A self-reported history of an (partial) ankle ligament rupture was typically present in the cluster with diminished postural stability. Subsequently, a 'preceding rupture' was added as a factor in the MANCOVA, which showed a significant association between diminished postural stability and a 'preceding rupture' (P = 0.01), for all four individual parameters (P: 0.001-0.029; Cohen's d: 0.96-2.23). Diminished postural stability is not apparent in all previously injured athletes. However, our analysis suggests that an (mild) ankle sprain with a preceding severe ankle sprain is associated with impaired balance ability. Therefore, sensorimotor training may be emphasized in this particular group and caution is warranted in return to play decisions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Sport Skill-Specific Expertise Biases Sensory Integration for Spatial Referencing and Postural Control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thalassinos, Michalis; Fotiadis, Giorgos; Arabatzi, Fotini; Isableu, Brice; Hatzitaki, Vassilia

    2017-09-15

    The authors asked how sport expertise modulates visual field dependence and sensory reweighting for controlling posture. Experienced soccer athletes, ballet dancers, and nonathletes performed (a) a Rod and Frame test and (b) a 100-s bipedal stance task during which vision and proprioception were successively or concurrently disrupted in 20-s blocks. Postural adaptation was assessed in the mean center of pressure displacement, root mean square of center of pressure velocity and ankle muscles integrated electromyography activity. Soccer athletes were more field dependent than were nonathletes. During standing, dancers were more destabilized by vibration and required more time to reweigh sensory information compared with the other 2 groups. These findings reveal a sport skill-specific bias in the reweighing of sensory inputs for spatial orientation and postural control.

  13. Light and heavy touch reduces postural sway and modifies axial tone in Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franzén, Erika; Paquette, Caroline; Gurfinkel, Victor; Horak, Fay

    2012-10-01

    Light touch with a stable object reduces postural sway by increasing axial postural tone in healthy subjects. However, it is unknown whether subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD), who have more postural sway and higher axial postural tone than healthy subjects, can benefit from haptic touch. To investigate the effect of light and heavy touch on postural stability and hip tone in subjects with PD. Fourteen subjects with mid-stage PD and 14 healthy control subjects were evaluated during quiet standing with eyes closed with their arms (a) crossed, (b) lightly touching a fixed rigid bar in front of them, and (c) firmly gripping the bar. Postural sway was measured with a forceplate, and axial hip tone was quantified using a unique device that measures the resistance of the hips to yaw rotation while maintaining active stance. Subjects with PD significantly decreased their postural sway with light or heavy touch (P touch, hip tone was larger in PD subjects. With touch, however, tone values were similar in both groups. This change in hip tone with touch was highly correlated with the initial amount of tone (PD, r = -.72 to -.95; controls, r = -.74 to -.85). The authors showed, for the first time, that subjects with PD benefit from touch similarly to control subjects and that despite higher axial postural tone, PD subjects are able to modulate their tone with touch. Future studies should investigate the complex relationship between touch and postural tone.

  14. Cardiovascular responses to postural changes: differences with age for women and men

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frey, M. A.; Tomaselli, C. M.; Hoffler, W. G.

    1994-01-01

    The cardiovascular responses to postural change, and how they are affected by aging, are inadequately described in women. Therefore, the authors examined the influence of age and sex on the responses of blood pressure, cardiac output, heart rate, and other variables to change in posture. Measurements were made after 10 minutes each in the supine, seated, and standing positions in 22 men and 25 women who ranged in age from 21 to 59 years. Several variables differed, both by sex and by age, when subjects were supine. On rising, subjects' diastolic and mean arterial pressures, heart rate, total peripheral resistance (TPR), and thoracic impedance increased; cardiac output, stroke volume, and mean stroke ejection rate decreased; and changes in all variables, except heart rate, were greater from supine to sitting than sitting to standing. The increase in heart rate was greater in the younger subjects, and increases in TPR and thoracic impedance were greater in the older subjects. Stroke volume decreased less, and TPR and thoracic impedance increased more, in the women than in the men. The increase in TPR was particularly pronounced in the older women. These studies show that the cardiovascular responses to standing differ, in some respects, between the sexes and with age. The authors suggest that the sex differences are, in part, related to greater decrease of thoracic blood volume with standing in women than in men, and that the age differences result, in part, from decreased responsiveness of the high-pressure baroreceptor system.

  15. Study II: mechanoreceptive sensation is of increased importance for human postural control under alcohol intoxication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Modig, F; Patel, M; Magnusson, M; Fransson, P A

    2012-03-01

    Standing postural stability relies on input from visual, vestibular, proprioceptive and mechanoreceptive sensors. When the information from any of these sensors is unavailable or disrupted, the central nervous system maintains postural stability by relying more on the contribution from the reliable sensors, termed sensory re-weighting. Alcohol intoxication is known to affect the integrity of the vestibular and visual systems. The aim was to assess how mechanoreceptive sensory information contributed to postural stability at 0.00% (i.e. sober), 0.06% and 0.10% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in 25 healthy subjects (mean age 25.1 years). The subjects were assessed with eyes closed and eyes open under quiet standing and while standing was perturbed by repeated, random-length, vibratory stimulation of the calf muscles. Plantar cutaneous mechanoreceptive sensation was assessed for both receptor types: slowly adapting (tactile sensitivity) and rapidly adapting (vibration perception). The correlation between recorded torque variance and the sensation from both mechanoreceptor types was calculated. The recorded stability during alcohol intoxication was significantly influenced by both the tactile sensation and vibration perception of the subjects. Moreover, the study revealed a fluctuating association between the subjects' vibration perception and torque variance during balance perturbations, which was significantly influenced by the level of alcohol intoxication, vision and adaptation. Hence, one's ability to handle balance perturbations under the influence of alcohol is strongly dependent on accurate mechanoreceptive sensation and efficient sensory re-weighting. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Effect of footwear on standing balance in healthy young adult males.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alghadir, Ahmad H; Zafar, Hamayun; Anwer, Shahnawaz

    2018-03-01

    The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of footwear on standing balance in healthy young adult males. Thirty healthy male participants aged 20-30 years were tested for standing balance on the Balance Master on three occasions, including wearing a sandal, standard shoe, or no footwear (barefoot). The tests of postural stability include; "Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance" (mCTSIB), "Unilateral Stance" (US), and the "Limits of Stability" (LOS). The balance scores (mCTSIB, US, and LOS) was analyzed. There was a significant effect between footwear conditions for mCTIB with eye closed on a firm surface (p=0.002). There was a significant effect between footwear conditions for the US with eye open and closed (p⟨0.05). There was a significant effect between footwear conditions for LOS reaction time during forward movement (p=0.02). Similarly, there was a significant effect between footwear conditions for LOS reaction time during left side movement (p=0.01). Wearing sandals compared to bare feet significantly increased postural sway and reduced stability in healthy young adult males. However, wearing a standard shoe compared to bare feet did not significantly affect balance scores in standing.

  17. Postural stability and the influence of concurrent muscle activation--Beneficial effects of jaw and fist clenching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ringhof, Steffen; Leibold, Timo; Hellmann, Daniel; Stein, Thorsten

    2015-10-01

    Recent studies reported on the potential benefits of submaximum clenching of the jaw on human postural control in upright unperturbed stance. However, it remained unclear whether these effects might also be observed among active controls. The purpose of the present study, therefore, was to comparatively examine the influence of concurrent muscle activation in terms of submaximum clenching of the jaw and submaximum clenching of the fists on postural stability. Posturographic analyses were conducted with 17 healthy young adults on firm and foam surfaces while either clenching the jaw (JAW) or clenching the fists (FIST), whereas habitual standing served as the control condition (CON). Both submaximum tasks were performed at 25% maximum voluntary contraction, assessed, and visualized in real time by means of electromyography. Statistical analyses revealed that center of pressure (COP) displacements were significantly reduced during JAW and FIST, but with no differences between both concurrent clenching activities. Further, a significant increase in COP displacements was observed for the foam as compared to the firm condition. The results showed that concurrent muscle activation significantly improved postural stability compared with habitual standing, and thus emphasize the beneficial effects of jaw and fist clenching for static postural control. It is suggested that concurrent activities contribute to the facilitation of human motor excitability, finally increasing the neural drive to the distal muscles. Future studies should evaluate whether elderly or patients with compromised postural control might benefit from these physiological responses, e.g., in the form of a reduced risk of falling. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Development of posture-specific computational phantoms using motion capture technology and application to radiation dose-reconstruction for the 1999 Tokai-Mura nuclear criticality accident

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vazquez, Justin A; Caracappa, Peter F; Xu, X George

    2014-01-01

    The majority of existing computational phantoms are designed to represent workers in typical standing anatomical postures with fixed arm and leg positions. However, workers found in accident-related scenarios often assume varied postures. This paper describes the development and application of two phantoms with adjusted postures specified by data acquired from a motion capture system to simulate unique human postures found in a 1999 criticality accident that took place at a JCO facility in Tokai-Mura, Japan. In the course of this accident, two workers were fatally exposed to extremely high levels of radiation. Implementation of the emergent techniques discussed produced more accurate and more detailed dose estimates for the two workers than were reported in previous studies. A total-body dose of 6.43 and 26.38 Gy was estimated for the two workers, who assumed a crouching and a standing posture, respectively. Additionally, organ-specific dose estimates were determined, including a 7.93 Gy dose to the thyroid and 6.11 Gy dose to the stomach for the crouching worker and a 41.71 Gy dose to the liver and a 37.26 Gy dose to the stomach for the standing worker. Implications for the medical prognosis of the workers are discussed, and the results of this study were found to correlate better with the patient outcome than previous estimates, suggesting potential future applications of such methods for improved epidemiological studies involving next-generation computational phantom tools. (paper)

  19. Postural sway and regional cerebellar volume in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hove, Michael J.; Zeffiro, Thomas A.; Biederman, Joseph; Li, Zhi; Schmahmann, Jeremy; Valera, Eve M.

    2015-01-01

    Objective Motor abnormalities, including impaired balance and increased postural sway, are commonly reported in children with ADHD, but have yet to be investigated in adults with ADHD. Furthermore, although these abnormalities are thought to stem from cerebellar deficits, evidence for an association between the cerebellum and these motor deficits has yet to be provided for either adults or children with ADHD. Method In this study, we measured postural sway in adults with ADHD and controls, examining the relationship between sway and regional cerebellar gray matter volume. Thirty-two ADHD and 28 control participants completed various standing-posture tasks on a Wii balance board. Results Postural sway was significantly higher for the ADHD group compared to the healthy controls. Higher sway was positively associated with regional gray matter volume in the right posterior cerebellum (lobule VIII/IX). Conclusion These findings show that sway abnormalities commonly reported in children with ADHD are also present in adults, and for the first time show a relationship between postural control atypicalities and the cerebellum in this group. Our findings extend the literature on motor abnormalities in ADHD and contribute to our knowledge of their neural substrate. PMID:26106567

  20. Postural stability is altered by the stimulation of pain but not warm receptors in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blouin, Jean-Sébastien; Corbeil, Philippe; Teasdale, Normand

    2003-10-17

    It is now recognized that large diameter myelinated afferents provide the primary source of lower limb proprioceptive information for maintaining an upright standing position. Small diameter afferents transmitting noxious stimuli, however, can also influence motor behaviors. Despite the possible influence of pain on motor behaviors, the effects of pain on the postural control system have not been well documented. Two cutaneous heat stimulations (experiment 1: non-noxious 40 degrees C; experiment 2: noxious 45 degrees C) were applied bilaterally on the calves of the subject with two thermal grills to stimulate A delta and C warm receptors and nociceptors in order to examine their effects on postural stability. The non-noxious stimulation induced a gentle sensation of warmth and the noxious stimulation induced a perception of heat pain (visual analogue scores of 0 and 46 mm, respectively). For both experiments, ten healthy young adults were tested with and without heat stimulations of the lower limbs while standing upright on a force platform with eyes open, eyes closed and eyes closed with tendon co-vibration of tibialis anterior and triceps surae muscles. The center of pressure displacements were analyzed to examine how both stimulations affected the regulation of quiet standing and if the effects were exacerbated when vision was removed or ankle proprioception perturbed. The stimulation of the warm receptors (40 degrees C) did not induce any postural deterioration. With pain (45 degrees C), subjects showed a significant increase in standard deviation, range and mean velocity of postural oscillations as well as standard deviation of the center of pressure velocity. The effects of heat pain were exacerbated when subjects had both their eyes closed and ankle tendons vibrated (increased standard deviation of the center of pressure velocity and mean velocity of the center of pressure). A non-noxious stimulation (40 degrees C) of the small diameter afferents is not a

  1. Postural stability is altered by the stimulation of pain but not warm receptors in humans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Corbeil Philippe

    2003-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background It is now recognized that large diameter myelinated afferents provide the primary source of lower limb proprioceptive information for maintaining an upright standing position. Small diameter afferents transmitting noxious stimuli, however, can also influence motor behaviors. Despite the possible influence of pain on motor behaviors, the effects of pain on the postural control system have not been well documented. Methods Two cutaneous heat stimulations (experiment 1: non-noxious 40 degrees C; experiment 2: noxious 45 degrees C were applied bilaterally on the calves of the subject with two thermal grills to stimulate A delta and C warm receptors and nociceptors in order to examine their effects on postural stability. The non-noxious stimulation induced a gentle sensation of warmth and the noxious stimulation induced a perception of heat pain (visual analogue scores of 0 and 46 mm, respectively. For both experiments, ten healthy young adults were tested with and without heat stimulations of the lower limbs while standing upright on a force platform with eyes open, eyes closed and eyes closed with tendon co-vibration of tibialis anterior and triceps surae muscles. The center of pressure displacements were analyzed to examine how both stimulations affected the regulation of quiet standing and if the effects were exacerbated when vision was removed or ankle proprioception perturbed. Results The stimulation of the warm receptors (40 degrees C did not induce any postural deterioration. With pain (45 degrees C, subjects showed a significant increase in standard deviation, range and mean velocity of postural oscillations as well as standard deviation of the center of pressure velocity. The effects of heat pain were exacerbated when subjects had both their eyes closed and ankle tendons vibrated (increased standard deviation of the center of pressure velocity and mean velocity of the center of pressure. Conclusions A non

  2. Embodied prosthetic arm stabilizes body posture, while unembodied one perturbs it.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imaizumi, Shu; Asai, Tomohisa; Koyama, Shinichi

    2016-10-01

    Senses of ownership (this arm belongs to me) and agency (I am controlling this arm) originate from sensorimotor system. External objects can be integrated into the sensorimotor system following long-term use, and recognized as one's own body. We examined how an (un)embodied prosthetic arm modulates whole-body control, and assessed the components of prosthetic embodiment. Nine unilateral upper-limb amputees participated. Four frequently used their prosthetic arm, while the others rarely did. Their postural sway was measured during quiet standing with or without their prosthesis. The frequent users showed greater sway when they removed the prosthesis, while the rare users showed greater sway when they fitted the prosthesis. Frequent users reported greater everyday feelings of postural stabilization by prosthesis and a larger sense of agency over the prosthesis. We suggest that a prosthetic arm maintains or perturbs postural control, depending on the prosthetic embodiment, which involves sense of agency rather than ownership. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Comparison of organ doses in human phantoms: variations due to body size and posture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng, Xu; Xiang-Hong, Jia; Xue-Jun, Yu; Zhan-Chun, Pan; Qian, Liu; Chun-Xin, Yang

    2017-01-01

    Organ dose calculations performed using human phantoms can provide estimates of astronauts' health risks due to cosmic radiation. However, the characteristics of such phantoms strongly affect the estimation precision. To investigate organ dose variations with body size and posture in human phantoms, a non-uniform rational B-spline boundary surfaces model was constructed based on cryo-section images. This model was used to establish four phantoms with different body size and posture parameters, whose organs parameters were changed simultaneously and which were voxelised with 4x4x4 mm"3 resolution. Then, using Monte Carlo transport code, the organ doses caused by ≤500 MeV isotropic incident protons were calculated. The dose variations due to body size differences within a certain range were negligible, and the doses received in crouching and standing-up postures were similar. Therefore, a standard Chinese phantom could be established, and posture changes cannot effectively protect astronauts during solar particle events. (authors)

  4. Effects of knee and ankle muscle fatigue on postural control in the unipedal stance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bizid, Riadh; Margnes, Eric; François, Yrieix; Jully, Jean Louis; Gonzalez, Gerard; Dupui, Philippe; Paillard, Thierry

    2009-06-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the effects of acute muscle fatigue of the ankle and knee musculature on postural control by immediate measures after performing fatiguing tasks (POST condition). One group of subjects (n = 8) performed a fatiguing task by voluntary contractions of the triceps surae (group TRI) and the other (n = 9) performed a fatiguing task by voluntary contractions of the quadriceps femoris (group QUA). Each muscle group was exercised until the loss of maximal voluntary contraction torque reached 50% (isokinetic dynamometer). Posture was assessed by measuring the centre of foot pressure (COP) with a force platform during a test of unipedal quiet standing posture with eyes closed. Initially (in PRE condition), the mean COP velocity was not significantly different between group TRI and group QUA. In POST condition, the mean COP velocity increased more in group QUA than in group TRI. The postural control was more impaired by knee muscle fatigue than by ankle muscle fatigue.

  5. An investigation of rugby scrimmaging posture and individual maximum pushing force.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Wen-Lan; Chang, Jyh-Jong; Wu, Jia-Hroung; Guo, Lan-Yuen

    2007-02-01

    Although rugby is a popular contact sport and the isokinetic muscle torque assessment has recently found widespread application in the field of sports medicine, little research has examined the factors associated with the performance of game-specific skills directly by using the isokinetic-type rugby scrimmaging machine. This study is designed to (a) measure and observe the differences in the maximum individual pushing forward force produced by scrimmaging in different body postures (3 body heights x 2 foot positions) with a self-developed rugby scrimmaging machine and (b) observe the variations in hip, knee, and ankle angles at different body postures and explore the relationship between these angle values and the individual maximum pushing force. Ten national rugby players were invited to participate in the examination. The experimental equipment included a self-developed rugby scrimmaging machine and a 3-dimensional motion analysis system. Our results showed that the foot positions (parallel and nonparallel foot positions) do not affect the maximum pushing force; however, the maximum pushing force was significantly lower in posture I (36% body height) than in posture II (38%) and posture III (40%). The maximum forward force in posture III (40% body height) was also slightly greater than for the scrum in posture II (38% body height). In addition, it was determined that hip, knee, and ankle angles under parallel feet positioning are factors that are closely negatively related in terms of affecting maximum pushing force in scrimmaging. In cross-feet postures, there was a positive correlation between individual forward force and hip angle of the rear leg. From our results, we can conclude that if the player stands in an appropriate starting position at the early stage of scrimmaging, it will benefit the forward force production.

  6. Determining suitable dimensions for dairy goat feeding places by evaluating body posture and feeding reach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keil, Nina M; Pommereau, Marc; Patt, Antonia; Wechsler, Beat; Gygax, Lorenz

    2017-02-01

    Confined goats spend a substantial part of the day feeding. A poorly designed feeding place increases the risk of feeding in nonphysiological body postures, and even injury. Scientifically validated information on suitable dimensions of feeding places for loose-housed goats is almost absent from the literature. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to determine feeding place dimensions that would allow goats to feed in a species-appropriate, relaxed body posture. A total of 27 goats with a height at the withers of 62 to 80 cm were included in the study. Goats were tested individually in an experimental feeding stall that allowed the height difference between the feed table, the standing area of the forelegs, and a feeding area step (difference in height between forelegs and hind legs) to be varied. The goats accessed the feed table via a palisade feeding barrier. The feed table was equipped with recesses at varying distances to the feeding barrier (5-55 cm in 5-cm steps) at angles of 30°, 60°, 90°, 120°, or 150° (feeding angle), which were filled with the goats' preferred food. In 18 trials, balanced for order across animals, each animal underwent all possible combinations of feeding area step (3 levels: 0, 10, and 20 cm) and of difference in height between feed table and standing area of forelegs (6 levels: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 cm). The minimum and maximum reach at which the animals could reach feed on the table with a relaxed body posture was determined for each combination. Statistical analysis was performed using mixed-effects models. The animals were able to feed with a relaxed posture when the feed table was at least 10 cm higher than the standing height of the goats' forelegs. Larger goats achieved smaller minimum reaches and minimum reach increased if the goats' head and neck were angled. Maximum reach increased with increasing height at withers and height of the feed table. The presence of a feeding area step had no influence on minimum and

  7. The influence of aging and attentional demands on recovery from postural instability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stelmach, G E; Zelaznik, H N; Lowe, D

    1990-06-01

    It is well known that the risk of a debilitating injury from a fall is much higher for elderly than for young individuals. In addition, it is well documented that healthy elderly subjects exhibit increased postural sway during normal stance tasks. In the present experiment, we explored the notion that control of minor postural instability in elderly subjects is attention demanding. Postural sway of eight elderly (mean age = 70.0 years) and eight young (mean age = 20.0 years) subjects was measured under two different secondary demands during stable and mildly unstable upright stance. There were two types of work loads. Either a cognitive (math task) or motor (hand-squeeze) task was performed during the second segment of a 50-second standing trial. The effect of these work loads on mean velocity, range, and variability of range of center of foot pressure was measured during the destabilizing activity of arm swinging and subsequent recovery period. Following seven seconds of 1 Hz arm-swinging activity, elderly subjects showed a marked increase in recovery time to normal stance when concurrently performing an arithmetic task. This result suggests that recovery from a posturally destabilizing activity, involving proprioceptive and vestibular information, places increased attentional demands on the postural support system of the elderly.

  8. Pain relief is associated with decreasing postural sway in patients with non-specific low back pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ruhe, A.; Fejer, René; Walker, B.

    2012-01-01

    is maintained if pain levels change in adults with non-specific low back pain. Methods: Thirty-eight patients with non-specific low back pain and a matching number of healthy controls were enrolled. Postural sway was measured by three identical static bipedal standing tasks of 90 sec duration with eyes closed......Background: Increased postural sway is well documented in patients suffering from non-specific low back pain, whereby a linear relationship between higher pain intensities and increasing postural sway has been described. No investigation has been conducted to evaluate whether this relationship...... in narrow stance on a firm surface. The perceived pain intensity was assessed by a numeric rating scale (NRS 11). The patients received three manual interventions (e. g. manipulation, mobilization or soft tissue techniques) at 3-4 day intervals, postural sway measures were obtained at each occasion. Results...

  9. Comparison of Sedentary Behaviors in Office Workers Using Sit-Stand Tables With and Without Semiautomated Position Changes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbieri, Dechristian França; Srinivasan, Divya; Mathiassen, Svend Erik; Oliveira, Ana Beatriz

    2017-08-01

    We compared usage patterns of two different electronically controlled sit-stand tables during a 2-month intervention period among office workers. Office workers spend most of their working time sitting, which is likely detrimental to health. Although the introduction of sit-stand tables has been suggested as an effective intervention to decrease sitting time, limited evidence is available on usage patterns of sit-stand tables and whether patterns are influenced by table configuration. Twelve workers were provided with standard sit-stand tables (nonautomated table group) and 12 with semiautomated sit-stand tables programmed to change table position according to a preset pattern, if the user agreed to the system-generated prompt (semiautomated table group). Table position was monitored continuously for 2 months after introducing the tables, as a proxy for sit-stand behavior. On average, the table was in a "sit" position for 85% of the workday in both groups; this percentage did not change significantly during the 2-month period. Switches in table position from sit to stand were, however, more frequent in the semiautomated table group than in the nonautomated table group (0.65 vs. 0.29 hr -1 ; p = .001). Introducing a semiautomated sit-stand table appeared to be an attractive alternative to a standard sit-stand table, because it led to more posture variation. A semiautomated sit-stand table may effectively contribute to making postures more variable among office workers and thus aid in alleviating negative health effects of extensive sitting.

  10. A hip abduction exercise prior to prolonged standing increased movement while reducing cocontraction and low back pain perception in those initially reporting low back pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viggiani, Daniel; Callaghan, Jack P

    2016-12-01

    Persons who develop low back pain from prolonged standing exhibit increased muscle cocontraction, decreased movement and increased spine extension. However, it is unclear how these factors relate to pain development. The purpose of this study was to use hip abductor fatigue to manipulate muscle activity patterns and determine its effects on standing behaviours and pain development. Forty participants stood for two hours twice, once following a hip abductor fatigue exercise (fatigue), and once without exercise beforehand (control). Trunk and gluteal muscle activity were measured to determine cocontraction. Lumbo-pelvic angles and force plates were used to assess posture and movement strategies. Visual analog scales differentiated pain (PDs) and non-pain developers (NPDs). PDs reported less low back pain during the fatigue session, with females having earlier reductions of similar scale than males. The fatigue session reduced gluteal and trunk cocontraction and increased centre of pressure movement; male and female PDs had opposing spine posture compensations. Muscle fatigue prior to standing reduced cocontraction, increased movement during standing and reduced the low back pain developed by PDs; the timing of pain reductions depended on spine postures adopted during standing. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. The contribution of proprioceptive information to postural control in elderly and patients with Parkinson’s disease with a history of falls

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esther Maria Johanna Bekkers

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Proprioceptive deficits negatively affect postural control but their precise contribution to postural instability in Parkinson’s disease (PD is unclear. We investigated if proprioceptive manipulations differentially affect balance, measured by force plates, during quiet standing in 13 PD patients and 13 age-matched controls with a history of falls. Perceived limits of stability (LoS were derived from the differences between maximal center of pressure (CoP displacement in anterior-posterior (AP and medio-lateral (ML direction during a maximal leaning task. Task conditions comprised standing with eyes open (EO and eyes closed (EC, (1 on a stable surface; (2 an unstable surface and (3 with Achilles tendon vibration. CoP displacements were calculated as a percentage of their respective LoS. Perceived LoS did not differ between groups. PD patients showed greater ML CoP displacement than elderly fallers (EF across all conditions (p = 0.043 and tended to have higher postural sway in relation to the LoS (p = 0.050. Both groups performed worse on an unstable surface and during tendon vibration compared to standing on a stable surface with EO and even more so with EC. Both PD and EF had more AP sway in all conditions with EC compared to EO (p < 0.001 and showed increased CoP displacements when relying on proprioception only compared to standing with normal sensory input. This implies a similar role of the proprioceptive system in postural control in fallers with and without PD. PD fallers showed higher ML sway after sensory manipulations disturbing postural control, as a result of which these values approached their perceived LoS more closely than in EF. We conclude that despite a similar fall history, PD patients showed more ML instability than EF, irrespective of sensory manipulation, but had a similar reliance on ankle proprioception. Hence, we recommend that rehabilitation and fall prevention for PD should focus on motor rather than on sensory

  12. A Motion Control of a Robotic Walker for Continuous Assistance during Standing, Walking and Seating Operation

    OpenAIRE

    Chugo, Daisuke; Takase, Kunikatsu

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we develop an active walker system for standing, walking and seating operation continuously which cooperates the developed standing assistance system with safety and stability. For realizing these conditions, our walker coordinates the assisting position cooperating the standing assistance manipulator according to the posture of the patient. Furthermore, our walker adjusts a seating position when the patient sit down which has high risk for falling down. Using our proposed syst...

  13. Skeletal Muscle Pump Drives Control of Cardiovascular and Postural Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verma, Ajay K.; Garg, Amanmeet; Xu, Da; Bruner, Michelle; Fazel-Rezai, Reza; Blaber, Andrew P.; Tavakolian, Kouhyar

    2017-03-01

    The causal interaction between cardio-postural-musculoskeletal systems is critical in maintaining postural stability under orthostatic challenge. The absence or reduction of such interactions could lead to fainting and falls often experienced by elderly individuals. The causal relationship between systolic blood pressure (SBP), calf electromyography (EMG), and resultant center of pressure (COPr) can quantify the behavior of cardio-postural control loop. Convergent cross mapping (CCM) is a non-linear approach to establish causality, thus, expected to decipher nonlinear causal cardio-postural-musculoskeletal interactions. Data were acquired simultaneously from young participants (25 ± 2 years, n = 18) during a 10-minute sit-to-stand test. In the young population, skeletal muscle pump was found to drive blood pressure control (EMG → SBP) as well as control the postural sway (EMG → COPr) through the significantly higher causal drive in the direction towards SBP and COPr. Furthermore, the effect of aging on muscle pump activation associated with blood pressure regulation was explored. Simultaneous EMG and SBP were acquired from elderly group (69 ± 4 years, n = 14). A significant (p = 0.002) decline in EMG → SBP causality was observed in the elderly group, compared to the young group. The results highlight the potential of causality to detect alteration in blood pressure regulation with age, thus, a potential clinical utility towards detection of fall proneness.

  14. The association of antihypertensives with postural blood pressure and falls among seniors residing in the community: a case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zia, Anam; Kamaruzzaman, Shahrul B; Myint, Phyo K; Tan, Maw P

    2015-10-01

    A drop in postural blood pressure (BP) may contribute to falls, while antihypertensives have been considered to induce postural drop or orthostatic hypotension (OH) and falls among older people. However, this relationship between antihypertensives, postural BP and the risk of falls has never been evaluated in a single study. To examine the association of postural BP changes and BP therapy with the risk of falls among community-dwelling older people in a case-control manner. Cases (n = 202) included participants aged ≥ 65 years with two falls or one injurious fall while controls (n = 156) included participants ≥ 65 years with no falls in the preceding 12 months. Antihypertensives usage and medical history were recorded. Supine BP measurements were obtained at 10 min rest and at 1, 2 and 3 min after standing. Orthostatic hypotension was defined as a reduction in BP of 20/10 mmHg within 3 min of standing. Individual antihypertensive classes were not associated with falls. Minimal standing systolic BP (SBP) was significantly lower among fallers [128 (± 27·3) vs. 135·7 (± 24·7) mmHg; P = 0·01], but fallers were not more likely to fulfil the diagnostic criteria for OH. Diuretics were associated with OH and α-blockers were associated with minimal standing SBP. Univariate analysis revealed that the use of ≥ 2 antihypertensives was associated with recurrent and injurious falls [OR,1.97;CI,1.2-3.1], which was no longer significant aftermultivariateadjustment for age and number of comorbidities [OR, 1.6; CI, 0.95-2.6]. Minimal standing SBP or a lower SBP at 2 or 3minutes standing was associated with falls rather than OH using consensus definition. Association between ≥ 2 antihypertensives and falls was attenuated by increasing age and comorbidities. Our findings challenge previous assumptions that OH or the use of antihypertensives is associated with falls. Future studies should now seek to link these findings prospectively with falls in order to guide decision

  15. Correlation between movement complexity during static standing and balance function in institutionalized older adults

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    Yamagata M

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Momoko Yamagata,1 Tome Ikezoe,1 Midori Kamiya,1 Mitsuhiro Masaki,2,3 Noriaki Ichihashi1 1Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 2Department of Physical Therapy, 3Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan Purpose: Sample entropy (SampEn is an analysis to evaluate movement complexity of the center of pressure (COP. A lower value of SampEn indicates lower complexity of COP variability, that is, rigidity, and lower degrees of freedom. Previous studies reported the association of increased SampEn with improved standing balance ability in young subjects. However, no studies have examined these relationships among older adults. Thus, we aimed to investigate the relationship between SampEn and standing balance ability in older adults.Subjects and methods: The subjects were 33 institutionalized older adults (aged 82.2±6.5 years. COP during static standing was measured. The standard deviation (SD values of COP and SampEn in the sagittal and frontal planes were calculated using time series data. One-leg standing test (OLST, functional reach (FR test, and lateral reach (LR test were also measured to evaluate standing balance ability.Results: OLST, FR, and LR were 6.5±8.3 s, 19.8±5.9 cm, and 18.2±6.4 cm, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that SampEn in the sagittal plane significantly correlated with OLST (r=-0.35 and FR (r=-0.36. However, SampEn in the frontal plane and SD of COP in both sagittal and frontal planes had no relationship with any of the clinical balance tests.Conclusion: Lower SampEn implies rigidity for postural control. In the present study, it was found that lower SampEn in the sagittal plane was related to a higher balance function, which suggests that older adults utilized body rigidity to maintain postural stability as a compensative strategy. Keywords: older adults, posture, balance, standing, complexity

  16. A flexed posture in elderly patients is associated with impairments in postural control during walking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Groot, Maartje H; van der Jagt-Willems, Hanna C; van Campen, Jos P C M; Lems, Willem F; Beijnen, Jos H; Lamoth, Claudine J C

    2014-02-01

    A flexed posture (FP) is characterized by protrusion of the head and an increased thoracic kyphosis (TK), which may be caused by osteoporotic vertebral fractures (VFs). These impairments may affect motor function, and consequently increase the risk of falling and fractures. The aim of the current study was therefore to examine postural control during walking in elderly patients with FP, and to investigate the relationship with geriatric phenomena that may cause FP, such as increased TK, VFs, frailty, polypharmacy and cognitive impairments. Fifty-six elderly patients (aged 80 ± 5.2 years; 70% female) walked 160 m at self-selected speed while trunk accelerations were recorded. Walking speed, mean stride time and coefficient of variation (CV) of stride time were recorded. In addition, postural control during walking was quantified by time-dependent variability measures derived from the theory of stochastic dynamics, indicating smoothness, degree of predictability, and local stability of trunk acceleration patterns. Twenty-five patients (45%) had FP and demonstrated a more variable and less structured gait pattern, and a more irregular trunk acceleration pattern than patients with normal posture. FP was significantly associated with an increased TK, but not with other geriatric phenomena. An increased TK may bring the body's centre of mass forward, which requires correcting responses, and reduces the ability to respond on perturbation, which was reflected by higher variation in the gait pattern in FP-patients. Impairments in postural control during walking are a major risk factor for falling: the results indicate that patients with FP have impaired postural control during walking and might therefore be at increased risk of falling. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. POSTUR KERJA DAN RISIKO LOW BACK PAIN PADA PEKERJA PASIRAN

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    Denny Nurkertamanda

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Salah satu pekerjaan angkat angkut adalah pekerjaan menurunkan pasir dari atas truk. Dalam bekerja, pekerja menggunakan alat bantu berupa enggrong yang merupakan sekop dengan gagang pendek. Akibat penggunaan enggrong, pekerja bekerja dengan postur tubuh membungkuk. Postur kerja ini menimbulkan potensi low back pain pada pekerja. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian cross sectional dengan jumlah sampel 9 partisipan. Tujuan dari penelitian adalah untuk mengetahui potensi risiko low back pain berdasarkan sudut kemiringan trunk ketika pekerja bekerja menurunkan pasir dengan enggrong. Sudut kemiringan trunk yang diprediksi meliputi: 1 sudut kemiringan trunk flexion, 2 sudut kemiringan trunk bending, dan 3 sudut kemiringan trunk twisting. Data postur kerja diambil dengan menggunakan kamera 3D Microsoft KinectTM dan dianalisis dengan menggunakan software Siemen Jack metode 3D Static Strength Prediction Program (3DSSPP untuk memprediksi sudut kemiringan trunk. Hasil analisis dari ke-6 postur kerja menunjukkan postur-postur kerja yang sering dilakukan pekerja mempunyai rerata sudut kemiringan trunk flexion sebesar 61,10 ± 10,090, sudut kemiringan trunk bending sebesar 19,80 ± 6,740 dan sudut kemiringan trunk twisting sebesar 20,00 ± 9,030. Rerata sudut kemiringan trunk flexion yang mencapai 87,28 %  dari sudut kemiringan maksimal merupakan penyebab utama risiko low back pain. Sehingga dapat disimpulkan potensi terjadinya low back pain pada pekerja pasiran dapat terjadi. Perlu intervensi ergonomi untuk mencegah dan mengurangi potensi risiko terjadi low back pain pada pekerja pasiran.   Abstract One of the manual matrial handling jobs is the derivative work from the top of the truck. In working the workers use a tool that enggrong which is a short-handed shovel. Due to the use of employee enggrong work with stooped posture. This work posture raises the potential for low back pain in workers. This study is a cross sectional study with a sample of 9

  18. Decerebrate posturing following traumatic brain injury: MRI findings and their diagnostic value

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woischneck, D.; Skalej, M.; Firsching, R.; Kapapa, T.

    2015-01-01

    Aim: To determine the pathomorphological and clinical background to decerebrate posturing in humans following serious traumatic brain injury. Materials and methods: One hundred and twenty patients who had been unconscious for more than 24 h underwent diagnostic MRI within 8 days after trauma. The presence of decerebrate rigidity as the clinical parameter was correlated to MRI findings, such as traumatic lesions in defined brain areas. Significance was presumed as p < 0.05. Results: On the day of MRI 43 (36%) patients exhibited decerebrate posturing: 19 (23%) cases were unilateral and 24 (77%) bilateral. There was a significant correlation between midbrain lesions and the presence of rigidity. If a midbrain lesion was found in the absence of pontine lesions, decerebrate rigidity could be concluded (p < 0.05). There was no significant correlation to the rigidity in the case of midbrain lesions accompanied by pontine lesions, and no correlation to the rigidity could be detected for other regions of the brain. Both the occurrence of decerebrate posturing and the detection of brainstem lesions at MRI correlated with the Glasgow Outcome Scale. The combination of both parameters improved the probability of predicting the outcome. Conclusion: The rate of decerebrate posturing increases significantly in the presence of midbrain lesions. The presence of pontine lesions appears to be of secondary importance. The chances of predicting the Glasgow Outcome Scale are improved by the combination of clinical information (decerebrate posturing) and radiological parameters (type of brainstem lesion). - Highlights: • The pathomorphology of decerebrate posturing after TBI is not known for certain. • Midbrain lesions on MRI were correlated significantly to decerebrate posturing. • A combination of decerebrate posturing and brainstem lesions predict poor outcome

  19. Confounding compression: the effects of posture, sizing and garment type on measured interface pressure in sports compression clothing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brophy-Williams, Ned; Driller, Matthew William; Shing, Cecilia Mary; Fell, James William; Halson, Shona Leigh; Halson, Shona Louise

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this investigation was to measure the interface pressure exerted by lower body sports compression garments, in order to assess the effect of garment type, size and posture in athletes. Twelve national-level boxers were fitted with sports compression garments (tights and leggings), each in three different sizes (undersized, recommended size and oversized). Interface pressure was assessed across six landmarks on the lower limb (ranging from medial malleolus to upper thigh) as athletes assumed sitting, standing and supine postures. Sports compression leggings exerted a significantly higher mean pressure than sports compression tights (P sports compression garments is significantly affected by garment type, size and posture assumed by the wearer.

  20. Dynamic postural stability in blind athletes using the biodex stability system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aydoğ, E; Aydoğ, S T; Cakci, A; Doral, M N

    2006-05-01

    Three systems affect the upright standing posture in humans - visual, vestibular, and somatosensory. It is well known that the visually impaired individuals have bad postural balance. On the other hand, it is a well documented fact that some sports can improve postural balance. Therefore, it is aimed in this study to evaluate the dynamic postural stability in goal-ball athletes. Twenty blind goal-ball players, 20 sighted and 20 sedentary blind controls were evaluated using the Biodex Stability System. Three adaptation trials and three test evaluations (a 20-second balance test at a platform stability of 8) were applied to the blind people, and to the sighted with eyes open and closed. Dynamic postural stability was measured on the basis of three indices: overall, anteroposterior, and mediolateral. Means of each test score were calculated. The tests results were compared for the blind athletes, sighted (with eyes open and closed) subjects, and sedentary blind people. There were significant differences between the results of the blind people and the sighted subjects with regards to all of the three indices. Although the stability of goal-ball players was better than sedentary blinds', only ML index values were statistically different (4.47 +/- 1.24 in the goal-ball players; 6.46 +/- 3.42 in the sedentary blind, p = 0.04). Dynamic postural stability was demonstrated to be affected by vision; and it was found that blind people playing goal-ball 1 - 2 days per week have higher ML stability than the sedentary sighted people.

  1. Lower regulatory frequency for postural control in patients with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rasouli, Omid; Vasseljen, Ottar; Fors, Egil A; Lorås, Håvard W; Stensdotter, Ann-Katrin

    2018-01-01

    As many similar symptoms are reported in fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), underlying defcits may potentially also be similar. Postural disequilibrium reported in both conditions may thus be explained by similar deviations in postural control strategies. 75 females (25/group FM, CFS and control, age 19-49 years) performed 60 s of quiet standing on a force platform in each of three conditions: 1) firm surface with vision, 2) firm surface without vision and, 3) compliant surface with vision. Migration of center of pressure was decomposed into a slow and a fast component denoting postural sway and lateral forces controlling postural sway, analyzed in the time and frequency domains. Main effects of group for the antero-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) directions showed that patients displayed larger amplitudes (AP, p = 0.002; ML, p = 0.021) and lower frequencies (AP, p controls. Post hoc analyses showed no significant differences between patient groups. In conclusion, both the CFS- and the FM-group differed from the control group. Larger postural sway and insufficient control was found in patients compared to controls, with no significant differences between the two patient groups.

  2. [Neuronal control of posture and locomotion in decerebrated and spinalized animals].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Musienko, P E; Gorskiĭ, O V; Kilimnik, V A; Kozlovskaia, I B; Courtine, G; Edgerton, V R; Gerasimenko, Iu P

    2013-03-01

    We have found that the brainstem-spinal cord circuitry of decerebrated cats actively maintain the equilibrium during standing, walking and imposed mechanical perturbations similar to that observed in intact animals. The corrective hindlimb motor responses during standing included redistribution of the extensor activity ipsilateral and contralateral to perturbation. The postural corrections in walking cats were due to considerable modification of EMG pattern in the limbs as well as changing of the swing-stance phases of the step cycle and ground reaction forces depending of perturbation side. Thus the basic mechanisms for balance control of decerebrated animals in these two forms of motor behavior are different. Balance-related adjustments relied entirely on the integration of somatosensory information arising from the moving hindquarters because of the suppression of vestibular, visual, and head-neck-trunk sensory input. We propose that the somatosensory input from the hindquarters in concert with the lumbosacral spinal circuitry can control the dynamics of the hindquarters sufficient to sustain balance. We found that, after isolation from the brainstem or forebrain, lumbosacral circuits receiving tonic epidural electrical stimulation can effectively control equilibrium during standing and stepping. Detailed analyses of the relationships among muscle activity, trunk kinematics, and limb kinetics indicate that spinal motor systems utilize a combination of feedback and feedforward strategies to maintain dynamic equilibrium during walking. The unexpected ability of spinal circuitries to exert efficient postural control in the presence of epidural electrical stimulation in decerebrated and spinal cats have significant implications for the potential of humans with a severe spinal cord injury to regain a significant level of functional standing and walking capacities.

  3. Otolith and Vertical Canal Contributions to Dynamic Postural Control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Black, F. Owen

    1999-01-01

    The objective of this project is to determine: 1) how do normal subjects adjust postural movements in response to changing or altered otolith input, for example, due to aging? and 2) how do patients adapt postural control after altered unilateral or bilateral vestibular sensory inputs such as ablative inner ear surgery or ototoxicity, respectively? The following hypotheses are under investigation: 1) selective alteration of otolith input or abnormalities of otolith receptor function will result in distinctive spatial, frequency, and temporal patterns of head movements and body postural sway dynamics. 2) subjects with reduced, altered, or absent vertical semicircular canal receptor sensitivity but normal otolith receptor function or vice versa, should show predictable alterations of body and head movement strategies essential for the control of postural sway and movement. The effect of altered postural movement control upon compensation and/or adaptation will be determined. These experiments provide data for the development of computational models of postural control in normals, vestibular deficient subjects and normal humans exposed to unusual force environments, including orbital space flight.

  4. Management of specific and excessive posturing behavior in a hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) by using applied behavior analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clayton, Leigh Ann; Friedman, Susan G; Evans, Liz A

    2012-06-01

    Applied behavior analysis was used in a female hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) to reduce specific, excessive mating-type posturing that had become disruptive due to increased frequency, duration, and intensity. A functional assessment and intervention design worksheet was used to evaluate behavior-environment relations and to develop an individualized behavior-change plan. The functional assessment indicated that human attention was maintaining the behavior. The intervention, differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior, was implemented to increase attention for standing upright and to remove attention for posturing. Within 1 month, posturing decreased to acceptable levels and was replaced with an upright posture. Problem behaviors that appear "reproductive" may be responsive to behavior management alone. Applied behavior analysis and a functional assessment and intervention design are ideal tools to address problem behavior in avian patients.

  5. The left IPL represents stored hand-postures for object use and action prediction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michiel evan Elk

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Action semantics enables us to plan actions with objects and to predict others’ object-directed actions as well. Previous studies have suggested that action semantics are represented in a fronto-parietal action network that has also been implicated to play a role in action observation. In the present fMRI study it was investigated how activity within this network changes as a function of the predictability of an action involving multiple objects and requiring the use of action semantics. Participants performed an action prediction task in which they were required to anticipate the use of a centrally presented object that could be moved to an associated target object (e.g. hammer - nail. The availability of actor information (i.e. presenting a hand grasping the central object and the number of possible target objects (i.e. 0, 1 or 2 target objects were independently manipulated, resulting in different levels of predictability. It was found that making an action prediction based on actor information resulted in an increased activation in the extrastriate body area (EBA and the fronto-parietal action observation network (AON. Predicting actions involving a target object resulted in increased activation in the bilateral IPL and frontal motor areas. Within the AON, activity in the left inferior parietal lobe (IPL and the left premotor cortex (PMC increased as a function of the level of action predictability. Together these findings suggest that the left IPL represents stored hand-postures that can be used for planning object-directed actions and for predicting other’s actions as well.

  6. A postural `stressed` cerebral HMPAO case study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Williams, R.C.; Jost, G.M.; Bolitho, L.; Grantham, M. [Wangaratta District Hospital, VIC (Australia)

    1998-03-01

    Full text: This case study represents an example of the utility of postural hypoperfusion stressed HMPAO SPECT. An elderly woman of 78 with a long history of giddiness was referred to our laboratory for examination of possible cerebral ischaemia. She had recurrent dizzy episodes, sometimes posture related, over the past few years and had suffered several falls. Cerebral DSA revealed minimal disease. CT scans were reported as normal. Carotid duplex Doppler studies revealed bilateral plaque disease in the carotid bulbs extending to the origins of the ICAs which were not significant stenoses. Postural symptoms were induced by standing the patient up rapidly and HMPAO was administered at the same time. A SPECT scan of the brain was performed. Quantitative analysis showed a left to right decrease of 10.8% in the temporo-occipital area, 5.6% in the temporo-parietal area and 2.5% in the cerebellar and parietal areas. Images revealed moderately reduced tracer concentration in the left half of the cerebellum and the left occipital region extending as far forward as the temporo-parietal region A repeat HMPAO SPECT scan without stress was normal. This would appear to indicate reversible ischaemia in the left posterior region, and is consistent with the reported symptoms. This case illustrates the usefulness of HMPAO in the diagnosis of reversible cerebral ischaemia.

  7. A postural 'stressed' cerebral HMPAO case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, R.C.; Jost, G.M.; Bolitho, L.; Grantham, M.

    1998-01-01

    Full text: This case study represents an example of the utility of postural hypoperfusion stressed HMPAO SPECT. An elderly woman of 78 with a long history of giddiness was referred to our laboratory for examination of possible cerebral ischaemia. She had recurrent dizzy episodes, sometimes posture related, over the past few years and had suffered several falls. Cerebral DSA revealed minimal disease. CT scans were reported as normal. Carotid duplex Doppler studies revealed bilateral plaque disease in the carotid bulbs extending to the origins of the ICAs which were not significant stenoses. Postural symptoms were induced by standing the patient up rapidly and HMPAO was administered at the same time. A SPECT scan of the brain was performed. Quantitative analysis showed a left to right decrease of 10.8% in the temporo-occipital area, 5.6% in the temporo-parietal area and 2.5% in the cerebellar and parietal areas. Images revealed moderately reduced tracer concentration in the left half of the cerebellum and the left occipital region extending as far forward as the temporo-parietal region A repeat HMPAO SPECT scan without stress was normal. This would appear to indicate reversible ischaemia in the left posterior region, and is consistent with the reported symptoms. This case illustrates the usefulness of HMPAO in the diagnosis of reversible cerebral ischaemia

  8. The differences in postural reactions between scoliosis and scoliotic posture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacek Wilczyński

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the research was to demonstrate the differences in amplitudes of postural reactions in girls with scoliotic posture and idiopathic scoliosis. 28 girls aged 7-18 years old were involved in the study. Children attended to the Interschool Centre of Corrective Exercises in Starachowice. The research was conducted in June 2011. Spine research was made by Exhibeon digital radiography. Based on the size of the angle of spinal curvature there were identified: scoliotic posture: 1-9° and scoliosis: ≥10°. Postural reactions were examined by static-dynamic Tecnobody’s ST 310 Plus Stability System platform. There were 21 (75% children with scoliotic posture, and 7 (25% with idiopathic scoliosis. Student's t-test showed a significantly higher postural reactions for scoliosis in relation to scoliotic postures in case of: Average Forward-Backward Speed (OE, (p=0,05, Medium-Lateral Standard Deviation X (CE, (p=0,002, and Ellipse area (CE, (p=0,012. To verify the significant differences, demonstrating the lack of homogeneity of variance, the Mann–Whitney U-test has been used, which showed a significant differences between the scoliotic posture and scoliosis in case of: Medium-Lateral Standard Deviation X (CE, (p=0,0012, Average Forward-Backward Speed (OE, (p=0,0548, and Ellipse area (CE (p=0,0047. Together with an increase of the angle of curvature, the value of these postural reactions also grew. Most of postural reactions didn’t fit the norm.

  9. The validity of the first and second generation Microsoft Kinect™ for identifying joint center locations during static postures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Xu; McGorry, Raymond W

    2015-07-01

    The Kinect™ sensor released by Microsoft is a low-cost, portable, and marker-less motion tracking system for the video game industry. Since the first generation Kinect sensor was released in 2010, many studies have been conducted to examine the validity of this sensor when used to measure body movement in different research areas. In 2014, Microsoft released the computer-used second generation Kinect sensor with a better resolution for the depth sensor. However, very few studies have performed a direct comparison between all the Kinect sensor-identified joint center locations and their corresponding motion tracking system-identified counterparts, the result of which may provide some insight into the error of the Kinect-identified segment length, joint angles, as well as the feasibility of adapting inverse dynamics to Kinect-identified joint centers. The purpose of the current study is to first propose a method to align the coordinate system of the Kinect sensor with respect to the global coordinate system of a motion tracking system, and then to examine the accuracy of the Kinect sensor-identified coordinates of joint locations during 8 standing and 8 sitting postures of daily activities. The results indicate the proposed alignment method can effectively align the Kinect sensor with respect to the motion tracking system. The accuracy level of the Kinect-identified joint center location is posture-dependent and joint-dependent. For upright standing posture, the average error across all the participants and all Kinect-identified joint centers is 76 mm and 87 mm for the first and second generation Kinect sensor, respectively. In general, standing postures can be identified with better accuracy than sitting postures, and the identification accuracy of the joints of the upper extremities is better than for the lower extremities. This result may provide some information regarding the feasibility of using the Kinect sensor in future studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier

  10. Physiological Mechanisms Mediating the Coupling between Heart Period and Arterial Pressure in Response to Postural Changes in Humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silvani, Alessandro; Calandra-Buonaura, Giovanna; Johnson, Blair D; van Helmond, Noud; Barletta, Giorgio; Cecere, Anna G; Joyner, Michael J; Cortelli, Pietro

    2017-01-01

    The upright posture strengthens the coupling between heart period (HP) and systolic arterial pressure (SAP) consistently with a greater contribution of the arterial baroreflex to cardiac control, while paradoxically decreasing cardiac baroreflex sensitivity (cBRS). To investigate the physiological mechanisms that mediate the coupling between HP and SAP in response to different postures, we analyzed the cross-correlation functions between low-frequency HP and SAP fluctuations and estimated cBRS with the sequence technique in healthy male subjects during passive head-up tilt test (HUTT, n = 58), during supine wakefulness, supine slow-wave sleep (SWS), and in the seated and active standing positions ( n = 8), and during progressive loss of 1 L blood ( n = 8) to decrease central venous pressure in the supine position. HUTT, SWS, the seated, and the standing positions, but not blood loss, entailed significant increases in the positive correlation between HP and the previous SAP values, which is the expected result of arterial baroreflex control, compared with baseline recordings in the supine position during wakefulness. These increases were mirrored by increases in the low-frequency variability of SAP in each condition but SWS. cBRS decreased significantly during HUTT, in the seated and standing positions, and after blood loss compared with baseline during wakefulness. These decreases were mirrored by decreases in the RMSSD index, which reflects cardiac vagal modulation. These results support the view that the cBRS decrease associated with the upright posture is a byproduct of decreased cardiac vagal modulation, triggered by the arterial baroreflex in response to central hypovolemia. Conversely, the greater baroreflex contribution to cardiac control associated with upright posture may be explained, at least in part, by enhanced fluctuations of SAP, which elicit a more effective entrainment of HP fluctuations by the arterial baroreflex. These SAP fluctuations may result

  11. Does increased postural threat lead to more conscious control of posture?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huffman, J L; Horslen, B C; Carpenter, M G; Adkin, A L

    2009-11-01

    Although it is well established that postural threat modifies postural control, little is known regarding the underlying mechanism(s) responsible for these changes. It is possible that changes in postural control under conditions of elevated postural threat result from a shift to a more conscious control of posture. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of elevated postural threat on conscious control of posture and to determine the relationship between conscious control and postural control measures. Forty-eight healthy young adults stood on a force plate at two different surface heights: ground level (LOW) and 3.2-m above ground level (HIGH). Centre of pressure measures calculated in the anterior-posterior (AP) direction were mean position (AP-MP), root mean square (AP-RMS) and mean power frequency (AP-MPF). A modified state-specific version of the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale was used to measure conscious motor processing (CMP) and movement self-consciousness (MSC). Balance confidence, fear of falling, perceived stability, and perceived and actual anxiety indicators were also collected. A significant effect of postural threat was found for movement reinvestment as participants reported more conscious control and a greater concern about their posture at the HIGH height. Significant correlations between CMP and MSC with AP-MP were observed as participants who consciously controlled and were more concerned for their posture leaned further away from the platform edge. It is possible that changes in movement reinvestment can influence specific aspects of posture (leaning) but other aspects may be immune to these changes (amplitude and frequency).

  12. A system for predicting the amount of Phellinus (Fomes) igniarius rot in trembling aspen stands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robert L. Anderson; Arthur L. Jr. Schipper

    1978-01-01

    The occurrence of Phellinus (Fomes) igniarius white trunk rot in 45- to 50-year-old trembling aspen stands can be predicted by applying a constant to the stand basal area with P. igniarius conks to estimate the total basal area with P. igniarius rot. Future decay projections can be made by reapplying the basal area of hidden decay for each 6 years projected. This paper...

  13. Posture Detection Based on Smart Cushion for Wheelchair Users

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Congcong Ma

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The postures of wheelchair users can reveal their sitting habit, mood, and even predict health risks such as pressure ulcers or lower back pain. Mining the hidden information of the postures can reveal their wellness and general health conditions. In this paper, a cushion-based posture recognition system is used to process pressure sensor signals for the detection of user’s posture in the wheelchair. The proposed posture detection method is composed of three main steps: data level classification for posture detection, backward selection of sensor configuration, and recognition results compared with previous literature. Five supervised classification techniques—Decision Tree (J48, Support Vector Machines (SVM, Multilayer Perceptron (MLP, Naive Bayes, and k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN—are compared in terms of classification accuracy, precision, recall, and F-measure. Results indicate that the J48 classifier provides the highest accuracy compared to other techniques. The backward selection method was used to determine the best sensor deployment configuration of the wheelchair. Several kinds of pressure sensor deployments are compared and our new method of deployment is shown to better detect postures of the wheelchair users. Performance analysis also took into account the Body Mass Index (BMI, useful for evaluating the robustness of the method across individual physical differences. Results show that our proposed sensor deployment is effective, achieving 99.47% posture recognition accuracy. Our proposed method is very competitive for posture recognition and robust in comparison with other former research. Accurate posture detection represents a fundamental basic block to develop several applications, including fatigue estimation and activity level assessment.

  14. Effects of flexi-bar and non-flexi-bar exercises on trunk muscles activity in different postures in healthy adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Jun Sub; Park, Seol; Kim, JiYoung; Park, Ji Won

    2015-07-01

    [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of flexi-bar exercises and non-flexi-bar exercises on trunk muscle activity in different postures in healthy adults. [Subjects] Twenty healthy right-hand dominant adults (10 males and 10 females) were selected for this study. None of the participants had experienced any orthopedic problems in the spine or in the upper and lower extremities in the previous six months. [Methods] The subjects were instructed to adopt three exercise postures: posture 1, quadruped; posture 2, side-bridge; and posture 3, standing. Surface electromyography of selected trunk muscles was normalized to maximum voluntary isometric contraction. [Results] The external oblique, internal oblique, and erector spinae muscle activity showed significant differences between flexi-bar exercises and non-flexi-bar exercises. [Conclusion] The results of this study suggest that flexi-bar exercises are useful in the activation of trunk muscles.

  15. The evaluation of different forest structural indices to predict the stand aboveground biomass of even-aged Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests in Kunduz, Northern Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ercanli, İlker; Kahriman, Aydın

    2015-03-01

    We assessed the effect of stand structural diversity, including the Shannon, improved Shannon, Simpson, McIntosh, Margelef, and Berger-Parker indices, on stand aboveground biomass (AGB) and developed statistical prediction models for the stand AGB values, including stand structural diversity indices and some stand attributes. The AGB prediction model, including only stand attributes, accounted for 85 % of the total variance in AGB (R (2)) with an Akaike's information criterion (AIC) of 807.2407, Bayesian information criterion (BIC) of 809.5397, Schwarz Bayesian criterion (SBC) of 818.0426, and root mean square error (RMSE) of 38.529 Mg. After inclusion of the stand structural diversity into the model structure, considerable improvement was observed in statistical accuracy, including 97.5 % of the total variance in AGB, with an AIC of 614.1819, BIC of 617.1242, SBC of 633.0853, and RMSE of 15.8153 Mg. The predictive fitting results indicate that some indices describing the stand structural diversity can be employed as significant independent variables to predict the AGB production of the Scotch pine stand. Further, including the stand diversity indices in the AGB prediction model with the stand attributes provided important predictive contributions in estimating the total variance in AGB.

  16. Postural stability is compromised by fatiguing overhead work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nussbaum, Maury A

    2003-01-01

    In a laboratory setting, 16 participants performed a repetitive overhead tapping task for 3 hours or until self-terminated due to substantial shoulder discomfort. Several measures of postural sway and stability were obtained using a force plate, both during quiet standing and during performance of the tapping task. Sway area and peak sway velocity showed consistent increases with time, whereas changes in average velocity and peak whole-body center-of-mass acceleration were either small or nonsignificant. Although relatively insensitive to several task variables, changes in sway areas and peak velocities were substantially larger in trials terminated by the participants. It is argued that fatigue plays a more important role than simple task duration in causing the observed increases in sway, and hence decreases in postural stability. Potential whole-body consequences of localized musculoskeletal stresses appear supported by the results, and implications for safety, risks of falls, and work scheduling are discussed.

  17. Light and heavy touch reduces postural sway and modifies axial tone in Parkinson’s disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franzén, Erika; Paquette, Caroline; Gurfinkel, Victor; Horak, Fay

    2014-01-01

    Background Light touch with a stable object reduces postural sway by increasing axial postural tone in healthy subjects. However, it is unknown whether subjects with Parkinson’s disease (PD), who have more postural sway and higher axial postural tone than healthy subjects, can benefit from haptic touch. Objective To investigate the effect of light and heavy touch on postural stability and hip tone in subjects with PD. Methods Fourteen subjects with mid-stage PD, and 14 healthy control subjects were evaluated during quiet standing with eyes closed with their arms: 1) crossed, 2) lightly touching a fixed rigid bar in front of them and 3) firmly gripping the bar. Postural sway was measured with a forceplate and axial hip tone was quantified using a unique device that measures the resistance of the hips to yaw rotation while maintaining active stance. Results Subjects with PD significantly decreased their postural sway with light or heavy touch (ptouch, hip tone was larger in PD subjects. With touch, however, tone values were similar in both groups. This change in hip tone with touch was highly correlated with the initial amount of tone (PD: r=− 0.72 to −0.95 and controls: r=−0.74 to−0.85). Conclusions We showed, for the first time, that subjects with PD benefit from touch similarly to control subjects and that despite higher axial postural tone, PD subjects are able to modulate their tone with touch. Future studies should investigate the complex relationship between touch and postural tone. PMID:22415944

  18. 3D.03: INFLUENCE OF AORTIC ATHEROSCLEROSIS ON THE PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF POSTURAL BLOOD PRESSURE CHANGES.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Courand, P Y; Fay, H; Harbaoui, B; Khettab, F; Fauvel, J P; Bricca, G; Milon, H; Lantelme, P

    2015-06-01

    Orthostatic blood pressure (BP) variations have been related with cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients; they are associated with autonomic and neurohormonal abnormalities. Large vessels damages, i.e. aortic atherosclerosis (ATS), may exaggerate this BP deregulation and thus, amplify its prognostic consequence. This study aimed at investigating the interaction of ATS on the prognostic value of postural BP changes. In a cohort of 958 hypertensive patients with an aortography available (mean age 44 ± 11 years, 61% of men, 26.5% of secondary prevention), BP was measured with a manual sphygmomanometer after 10 minutes of rest in the supine position and in the standing position, one minute after assuming the upright position. Supine and standing SBP were each the average of six measurements. Postural BP change was recalculated as absolute value of the difference between mean supine SBP and mean standing SBP. ATS was assessed by a 2-modality score: absent or mild vs. moderate or severe. All-cause and cardiovascular deaths were assessed after 15 years of follow-up. BP was 182/110 mm Hg, on average. During the follow-up, 167 cardiovascular and 280 all-cause death occurred. As illustrated in the figure, an increased risk of death was observed across tertiles of increasing level of postural BP changes in the presence of moderate or severe ATS but not if ATS was absent or mild. In a multivariable Cox Regression analysis adjusted for major cardiovascular risk factors, postural BP change was statistically associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality only in the presence of moderate or severe ATS: tertile 2 vs. 1: 2.19 [1.10-4.39] and 2.02 [0.82-4.96] respectively; tertile 3 vs. 1: 3.21 [1.73-5.94] and 4.65 [2.20-9.80] respectively (P for interaction 0.006 for all-cause mortality and 0.002 for cardiovascular mortality). We did not observe such interaction with ECG left ventricular hypertrophy, history of heart failure and anti-hypertensive treatment

  19. Predictive Value of Body Posture and Pupil Dilation in Assessing Consumer Preference and Choice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ramsøy, Thomas Zoëga; Jacobsen, Catrine; Friis-Olivarius, Morten

    2017-01-01

    in the mechanisms of decision-making, other, less known physiological responses indicators, such as body posture, may provide additional valuable insight into decision-making processes. Here, we report the results from two separate high-resolution eye-tracking studies in which pupil dilation and body posture...

  20. A new methodology based on functional principal component analysis to study postural stability post-stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez-Sánchez, M Luz; Belda-Lois, Juan-Manuel; Mena-Del Horno, Silvia; Viosca-Herrero, Enrique; Igual-Camacho, Celedonia; Gisbert-Morant, Beatriz

    2018-05-05

    A major goal in stroke rehabilitation is the establishment of more effective physical therapy techniques to recover postural stability. Functional Principal Component Analysis provides greater insight into recovery trends. However, when missing values exist, obtaining functional data presents some difficulties. The purpose of this study was to reveal an alternative technique for obtaining the Functional Principal Components without requiring the conversion to functional data beforehand and to investigate this methodology to determine the effect of specific physical therapy techniques in balance recovery trends in elderly subjects with hemiplegia post-stroke. A randomized controlled pilot trial was developed. Thirty inpatients post-stroke were included. Control and target groups were treated with the same conventional physical therapy protocol based on functional criteria, but specific techniques were added to the target group depending on the subjects' functional level. Postural stability during standing was quantified by posturography. The assessments were performed once a month from the moment the participants were able to stand up to six months post-stroke. The target group showed a significant improvement in postural control recovery trend six months after stroke that was not present in the control group. Some of the assessed parameters revealed significant differences between treatment groups (P Functional Principal Component Analysis to be performed when data is scarce. Moreover, it allowed the dynamics of recovery of two different treatment groups to be determined, showing that the techniques added in the target group increased postural stability compared to the base protocol. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Fitness, Balance Efficacy, and Postural Control in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Lee

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Age-related declines in postural control and physical fitness are strong risk factors for falls in older adults. Balance efficacy has been utilized to identify poor postural control, reduced physical function, and fall risk. However, it is not clear as to whether balance efficacy is truly a better predictor of functional fitness outcomes or postural control. Distinguishing these associations is an important step in the future derivation of physiotherapeutic programming to remediate acute and chronic decline. Therefore, the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to partition which measures are more associated with balance efficacy, fitness, or postural control. One hundred eleven community-dwelling older adults participated and were asked to complete the Balance Efficacy Scale (BES, a functional fitness measure (the Senior Fitness Test [SFT], and a measure of postural control (the Sensory Organization Test [SOT].We found that the SFT was more significantly associated with balance efficacy (R2 = .37 than the SOT (R2 = .08 in older adults. Overall, aerobic endurance, functional mobility in the SFT, and the vestibular score on the SOT were significantly associated with balance efficacy. We concluded that clinicians utilizing the BES as a preliminary screen should recommend physiotherapy follow-up activities that build endurance (walking, lower extremity functional mobility (sit-to-stand, and vestibular function (head movement while walking. Understanding the links between a preliminary screening tool and the physiological needs of the patient will allow for targeted activities to be prescribed.

  2. Determining postural stability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lieberman, Erez (Inventor); Forth, Katharine E. (Inventor); Paloski, William H. (Inventor)

    2011-01-01

    A method for determining postural stability of a person can include acquiring a plurality of pressure data points over a period of time from at least one pressure sensor. The method can also include the step of identifying a postural state for each pressure data point to generate a plurality of postural states. The method can include the step of determining a postural state of the person at a point in time based on at least the plurality of postural states.

  3. 'Posture for Learning': meeting the postural care needs of children with physical disabilities in mainstream primary schools in England--a research into practice exploratory study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hutton, Eve; Coxon, Kirstie

    2011-01-01

     To explore teachers and teaching assistants' (TAs) views of how to manage the postural care needs of children with physical disabilities (PD) in mainstream primary schools, with the aim of developing strategies to support teachers and assistants in this role.  Qualitative data were gathered from a purposive sample of four primary schools in one county in the U.K. Individual and focus group interviews with 36 teachers and TAs were carried out and used to generate an explanatory framework around their experiences of managing the postural care needs of children with PD.  Teachers and TAs in schools were found to have limited understanding of postural management. Very few had personal experience of the benefits of postural care--instead, most appeared to think in terms of 'doing' rather than 'knowing' about postural care. When implementing therapy programmes, teaching staff followed therapists' instructions carefully, but did not understand the purpose of their actions. Participants described the emotional impact of caring for a child with PD and expressed anxieties about causing discomfort when using equipment such as specialist seating and standing frames. Equipment was viewed as bulky, uncomfortable and restrictive and not suited to the school environment. When asked which kinds of support would be valuable, participants identified practical solutions such as additional space or resources. Based on these findings, therapists, specialist teachers and parents developed an 'A-Z of postural care'. This information resource aimed to address the gaps in knowledge and understanding highlighted by teachers and TAs in the interviews and to acknowledge their anxieties when teaching and caring for children with PD. Stakeholder involvement in all aspects of the project from setting the research question to the development of the A-Z resource has assisted in the dissemination of the resource and its integration into the mainstream school system within the county.

  4. Independent walking as a major skill for the development of anticipatory postural control: evidence from adjustments to predictable perturbations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabien Cignetti

    Full Text Available Although there is suggestive evidence that a link exists between independent walking and the ability to establish anticipatory strategy to stabilize posture, the extent to which this skill facilitates the development of anticipatory postural control remains largely unknown. Here, we examined the role of independent walking on the infants' ability to anticipate predictable external perturbations. Non-walking infants, walking infants and adults were sitting on a platform that produced continuous rotation in the frontal plane. Surface electromyography (EMG of neck and lower back muscles and the positions of markers located on the platform, the upper body and the head were recorded. Results from cross-correlation analysis between rectified and filtered EMGs and platform movement indicated that although muscle activation already occurred before platform movement in non-walking infants, only walking infants demonstrated an adult-like ability for anticipation. Moreover, results from further cross-correlation analysis between segmental angular displacement and platform movement together with measures of balance control at the end-points of rotation of the platform evidenced two sorts of behaviour. The adults behaved as a non-rigid non-inverted pendulum, rather stabilizing head in space, while both the walking and non-walking infants followed the platform, behaving as a rigid inverted pendulum. These results suggest that the acquisition of independent walking plays a role in the development of anticipatory postural control, likely improving the internal model for the sensorimotor control of posture. However, despite such improvement, integrating the dynamics of an external object, here the platform, within the model to maintain balance still remains challenging in infants.

  5. Human cerebral venous outflow pathway depends on posture and central venous pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gisolf, J; van Lieshout, J J; van Heusden, K; Pott, F; Stok, W J; Karemaker, J M

    2004-01-01

    Internal jugular veins are the major cerebral venous outflow pathway in supine humans. In upright humans the positioning of these veins above heart level causes them to collapse. An alternative cerebral outflow pathway is the vertebral venous plexus. We set out to determine the effect of posture and central venous pressure (CVP) on the distribution of cerebral outflow over the internal jugular veins and the vertebral plexus, using a mathematical model. Input to the model was a data set of beat-to-beat cerebral blood flow velocity and CVP measurements in 10 healthy subjects, during baseline rest and a Valsalva manoeuvre in the supine and standing position. The model, consisting of 2 jugular veins, each a chain of 10 units containing nonlinear resistances and capacitors, and a vertebral plexus containing a resistance, showed blood flow mainly through the internal jugular veins in the supine position, but mainly through the vertebral plexus in the upright position. A Valsalva manoeuvre while standing completely re-opened the jugular veins. Results of ultrasound imaging of the right internal jugular vein cross-sectional area at the level of the laryngeal prominence in six healthy subjects, before and during a Valsalva manoeuvre in both body positions, correlate highly with model simulation of the jugular cross-sectional area (R2 = 0.97). The results suggest that the cerebral venous flow distribution depends on posture and CVP: in supine humans the internal jugular veins are the primary pathway. The internal jugular veins are collapsed in the standing position and blood is shunted to an alternative venous pathway, but a marked increase in CVP while standing completely re-opens the jugular veins. PMID:15284348

  6. Postural stability changes in the elderly with cataract simulation and refractive blur.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anand, Vijay; Buckley, John G; Scally, Andy; Elliott, David B

    2003-11-01

    To determine the influence of cataractous and refractive blur on postural stability and limb-load asymmetry (LLA) and to establish how postural stability changes with the spatial frequency and contrast of the visual stimulus. Thirteen elderly subjects (mean age, 70.76 +/- 4.14 [SD] years) with no history of falls and normal vision were recruited. Postural stability was determined as the root mean square [RMS] of the center of pressure (COP) signal in the anterior-posterior (A-P) and medial-lateral directions and LLA was determined as the ratio of the average body weight placed on the more-loaded limb to the less-loaded limb, recorded during a 30-second period. Data were collected under normal standing conditions and with somatosensory system input disrupted. Measurements were repeated with four visual targets with high (8 cyc/deg) or low (2 cyc/deg) spatial frequency and high (Weber contrast, approximately 95%) or low (Weber contrast, approximately 25%) contrast. Postural stability was measured under conditions of binocular refractive blur of 0, 1, 2, 4, and 8 D and with cataract simulation. The data were analyzed in a population-averaged linear model. The cataract simulation caused significant increases in postural instability equivalent to that caused by 8-D blur conditions, and its effect was greater when the input from the somatosensory system was disrupted. High spatial frequency targets increased postural instability. Refractive blur, cataract simulation, or eye closure had no effect on LLA. Findings indicate that cataractous and refractive blur increase postural instability, and show why the elderly, many of whom have poor vision along with musculoskeletal and central nervous system degeneration, are at greater risk of falling. Findings also highlight that changes in contrast sensitivity rather than resolution changes are responsible for increasing postural instability. Providing low spatial frequency information in certain environments may be useful in

  7. Analysis of Postural Control During Quiet Standing in a Population with Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Undergoing Moderate Intensity Aerobic Exercise Training: A Single Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dixit, Snehil; Maiya, Arun; Shastry, Barkur A; Guddattu, Vasudev

    2016-07-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 8 wks of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on postural control during quiet standing in type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Individuals were included in the study if they had type 2 diabetes with clinical neuropathy, defined by a minimum score of 7 on the Michigan Diabetic Neuropathy Score, following which the patients were randomly assigned to an 8-wk program by computer-generated random number tables to study or control group. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used for data analysis (P < 0.05 was considered significant). After final randomization, there were 36 patients in the study group and 45 in the control group. On comparison of results for control and study groups using repeated-measures analysis of variance only in the eyes closed on foam condition was there was a significant difference between the two groups for sway velocity along the x-axis (df1, df2 = 1, 18, F = 3.86, P = 0.04) and mediolateral displacement (df1, df2 = 1, 18, F = 4.04, P = 0.03). Aerobic exercise training could exert a therapeutic effect on center of pressure movement only along the x-axis in the eyes closed condition on foam surface during quiet standing.

  8. Characterizing the human postural control system using detrended fluctuation analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teresa Blázquez, M.; Anguiano, Marta; de Saavedra, Fernando Arias; Lallena, Antonio M.; Carpena, Pedro

    2010-01-01

    Detrended fluctuation analysis is used to study the behaviour of the time series of the position of the center of pressure, output from the activity of a human postural control system. The results suggest that these trajectories present a crossover in their scaling properties from persistent (for high frequencies, short-range time scale) to anti-persistent (for low frequencies, long-range time scale) behaviours. The values of the scaling exponent found for the persistent parts of the trajectories are very similar for all the cases analysed. The similarity of the results obtained for the measurements done with both eyes open and both eyes closed indicate either that the visual system may be disregarded by the postural control system, while maintaining quiet standing, or that the control mechanisms associated with each type of information (visual, vestibular and somatosensory) cannot be disentangled with this technique.

  9. Static and Dynamic Postural Changes after a Mountain Ultra-Marathon of 80 km and 5500 D.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giuseppe Marcolin

    Full Text Available The study aimed to investigate the effect of fatigue on static and dynamic postural stability after completing a mountain ultra-marathon. Twelve male athletes participated in the study. Postural stability was assessed before and immediately after the race. Static postural stability was evaluated on a dynamometric platform with eyes opened (OE and closed (CE. Dynamic postural stability was assessed with OE on an instrumented plate which allowed medio-lateral oscillations. Stabilometric data were affected by fatigue in the OE condition, concerning sway path velocity (p = 0.0006, sway area velocity (p = 0.0006, area of the confidence ellipse (p = 0.0016, maximal anterior-posterior (AP (p = 0.0017 and medio-lateral (ML (p = 0.0039 oscillations. In the CE condition the sway path velocity (p = 0.0334, the maximal ML oscillations (p = 0.0161 and the area of the confident ellipse (p = 0.0180 were also negatively influenced. Stabilogram diffusion analysis showed in the OE condition an increase of short-term diffusion coefficients considering the anterior-posterior direction (Dfys; p = 0.0023 and the combination of the two (Dfr2s; p = 0.0032. Equally, long term diffusion coefficients increased considering the anterior-posterior direction (Dfyl; p = 0.0093 and the combination of the two (Dfr2l; p = 0.0086. In CE condition greater values were detected for medio-lateral direction (Dfxl; p = 0.033, anterior-posterior direction (Dfyl; p = 0.0459 and the combination of the two (Dfr2l; p = 0.0048. The dynamic postural stability test showed an increase of the time spent with the edges of the plate on the floor (p = 0.0152. Our results showed that mountain ultra-marathon altered static stability more than dynamic stability. An involvement of cognitive resources to monitor postural stability after fatiguing could be the explanation of the worsening in the automatic task (quiet standing and of the positive compensation in the less automatic task (dynamic standing on

  10. Role of brain hemispheric dominance in anticipatory postural control strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cioncoloni, David; Rosignoli, Deborah; Feurra, Matteo; Rossi, Simone; Bonifazi, Marco; Rossi, Alessandro; Mazzocchio, Riccardo

    2016-07-01

    Most of the cerebral functions are asymmetrically represented in the two hemispheres. Moreover, dexterity and coordination of the distal segment of the dominant limbs depend on cortico-motor lateralization. In this study, we investigated whether postural control may be also considered a lateralized hemispheric brain function. To this aim, 15 young subjects were tested in standing position by measuring center of pressure (COP) shifts along the anteroposterior axis (COP-Y) during dynamic posturography before and after continuous Theta Burst Stimulation (cTBS) intervention applied to the dominant or non-dominant M1 hand area as well as to the vertex. We show that when subjects were expecting a forward platform translation, the COP-Y was positioned significantly backward or forward after dominant or non-dominant M1 stimulation, respectively. We postulate that cTBS applied on M1 may have disrupted the functional connectivity between intra- and interhemispheric areas implicated in the anticipatory control of postural stability. This study suggests a functional asymmetry between the two homologous primary motor areas, with the dominant hemisphere playing a critical role in the selection of the appropriate postural control strategy.

  11. Influence of fatigue time and level on increases in postural sway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pline, Kevin M; Madigan, Michael L; Nussbaum, Maury A

    2006-12-15

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of fatigue time and fatigue level on the increases in postural sway during quiet standing. Centre of pressure-based measures of postural sway were collected both before and after fatiguing participants using three different fatigue levels and two different fatigue times. Results showed increasing fatigue time increased sway velocity and sway area, and increasing fatigue level increased sway velocity. Fatigue time effects are important to consider when applying laboratory-based findings to the field given that the fatigue time can differ substantially between the two. Fatigue level effects imply a dose - response relationship between localized muscle fatigue and risk of falling that can have important implications in work/rest cycle scheduling for occupations at risk of injurious falls.

  12. Feeding and resting postures of wild northern muriquis (Brachyteles hypoxanthus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iurck, Maria F; Nowak, Matthew G; Costa, Leny C M; Mendes, Sérgio L; Ford, Susan M; Strier, Karen B

    2013-01-01

    Increased body size in Brachyteles has been regarded as an important evolutionary adaptation that allowed a greater reliance on leaves compared to other more frugivorous Atelidae, but its association with muriqui positional behavior and substrate use is still unknown. Here, we present original data on the feeding and resting postures of the northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) and evaluate predictions about the relationships between body size, postural behavior, and substrate use derived from previously published data for other atelids (e.g. Alouatta, Ateles, and Lagothrix). The study was undertaken from August 2002 to July 2003 on a large group of well-habituated muriquis inhabiting the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural - Felíciano Miguel Abdala in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Consistent with our predictions, we found that B. hypoxanthus was highly suspensory during postural feeding (60.9%) and commonly used tail-hind limb suspension/horizontal tripod (38.0%) or tail-forelimb/hind limb suspension (21.4%). However, although tail-suspensory postures permitted the muriquis to use the terminal canopy and small-sized substrates, these areas were also accessed via tail-assisted above-branch postural behaviors involving multiple substrates. Unexpectedly, tail-suspensory postures were found to be frequently associated with large substrates, tree trunks, and the understory. We suggest that Brachyteles' ability to access food resources from all areas of a feeding tree and from tree crowns at different canopy levels may account for their ability to efficiently exploit food resources in seasonal disturbed forest fragments of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest today. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Two anomalous cardiovascular responses to active standing in essential hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bettencourt, M Joaquina; Pinto, Basílio Gomes; de Oliveira, E Infante; Silva-Carvalho, L

    2008-05-01

    In a previous work we studied, non-invasively, autonomic nervous system control of circulation in healthy subjects, observing the hemodynamic reaction to active standing. We now propose to extend this analysis to essential hypertension (EH), investigating possible autonomic dysfunction. The cardiovascular response to postural change from the supine position to active standing of 48 EH patients, of both sexes, with and without medication, was compared with that obtained for healthy subjects. We evaluated arterial systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, stroke volume (SV), inotropic index (INOI), total vascular resistance (TVR), cardiac work (W), stroke work (SW), arterial compliance (AC) and heart rate (HR), using the entirely non-invasive BoMed NCCOM3 thoracic electrical bioimpedance monitor and sphygmomanometry. We found two patient groups characterized by different linear relationships between values of cardiovascular variables in active standing and in supine positions. Except for HR, in both groups these regression lines differed from normal. Compared to the supine position, in active standing, one group (EH-I) presented increased TVR, diminished SV, INOI, W, SW, and AC, and normal HR; the other group (EH-II) presented diminished TVR and HR and increased SV, INOI, W, SW and AC. The two patient groups could be separated on the basis of their age, but not on the basis of their systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressures, gender or medication. The younger patient group (EH-I) included 28 subjects aged 24 to 69 years (50+/-10), of whom 11 were unmedicated, and the older patient group (EH-II) included 20 subjects aged 35 to 75 years (62+/-11), of whom 7 were unmedicated. Our results show a depressed response in postural change for older patients, which in the autonomic control of circulation expresses carotid baroreflex impairment, and conversely an enhanced response for younger patients, which can be caused by a maladjustment of the influence

  14. Inactivity periods and postural change speed can explain atypical postural change patterns of Caenorhabditis elegans mutants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukunaga, Tsukasa; Iwasaki, Wataru

    2017-01-19

    With rapid advances in genome sequencing and editing technologies, systematic and quantitative analysis of animal behavior is expected to be another key to facilitating data-driven behavioral genetics. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a model organism in this field. Several video-tracking systems are available for automatically recording behavioral data for the nematode, but computational methods for analyzing these data are still under development. In this study, we applied the Gaussian mixture model-based binning method to time-series postural data for 322 C. elegans strains. We revealed that the occurrence patterns of the postural states and the transition patterns among these states have a relationship as expected, and such a relationship must be taken into account to identify strains with atypical behaviors that are different from those of wild type. Based on this observation, we identified several strains that exhibit atypical transition patterns that cannot be fully explained by their occurrence patterns of postural states. Surprisingly, we found that two simple factors-overall acceleration of postural movement and elimination of inactivity periods-explained the behavioral characteristics of strains with very atypical transition patterns; therefore, computational analysis of animal behavior must be accompanied by evaluation of the effects of these simple factors. Finally, we found that the npr-1 and npr-3 mutants have similar behavioral patterns that were not predictable by sequence homology, proving that our data-driven approach can reveal the functions of genes that have not yet been characterized. We propose that elimination of inactivity periods and overall acceleration of postural change speed can explain behavioral phenotypes of strains with very atypical postural transition patterns. Our methods and results constitute guidelines for effectively finding strains that show "truly" interesting behaviors and systematically uncovering novel gene

  15. A Case Report and Review of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome in Pregnancy

    OpenAIRE

    Lide, Brianna; Haeri, Sina

    2015-01-01

    Purpose - Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a form of orthostatic intolerance characterized by an increased heart rate upon transition from supine to standing, and head-up tilt without orthostatic hypotension. Its etiology is multifactorial, and no clear cause has been identified. Common symptoms include light-headedness, blurred vision, weakness, cognitive difficulties, and fatigue and are often accompanied by palpitations, shortness of breath, syncope, or gastrointestinal ...

  16. Postural Consequences of Cervical Sagittal Imbalance: A Novel Laboratory Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patwardhan, Avinash G; Havey, Robert M; Khayatzadeh, Saeed; Muriuki, Muturi G; Voronov, Leonard I; Carandang, Gerard; Nguyen, Ngoc-Lam; Ghanayem, Alexander J; Schuit, Dale; Patel, Alpesh A; Smith, Zachary A; Sears, William

    2015-06-01

    A biomechanical study using human spine specimens. To study postural compensations in lordosis angles that are necessary to maintain horizontal gaze in the presence of forward head posture and increasing T1 sagittal tilt. Forward head posture relative to the shoulders, assessed radiographically using the horizontal offset distance between the C2 and C7 vertebral bodies (C2-C7 [sagittal vertical alignment] SVA), is a measure of global cervical imbalance. This may result from kyphotic alignment of cervical segments, muscle imbalance, as well as malalignment of thoracolumbar spine. Ten cadaveric cervical spines (occiput-T1) were tested. The T1 vertebra was anchored to a tilting and translating base. The occiput was free to move vertically but its angular orientation was constrained to ensure horizontal gaze regardless of sagittal imbalance. A 5-kg mass was attached to the occiput to mimic head weight. Forward head posture magnitude and T1 tilt were varied and motions of individual vertebrae were measured to calculate C2-C7 SVA and lordosis across C0-C2 and C2-C7. Increasing C2-C7 SVA caused flexion of lower cervical (C2-C7) segments and hyperextension of suboccipital (C0-C1-C2) segments to maintain horizontal gaze. Increasing kyphotic T1 tilt primarily increased lordosis across the C2-C7 segments. Regression models were developed to predict the compensatory C0-C2 and C2-C7 angulation needed to maintain horizontal gaze given values of C2-C7 SVA and T1 tilt. This study established predictive relationships between radiographical measures of forward head posture, T1 tilt, and postural compensations in the cervical lordosis angles needed to maintain horizontal gaze. The laboratory model predicted that normalization of C2-C7 SVA will reduce suboccipital (C0-C2) hyperextension, whereas T1 tilt reduction will reduce the hyperextension in the C2-C7 segments. The predictive relationships may help in planning corrective strategy in patients experiencing neck pain, which may be

  17. Study I: effects of 0.06% and 0.10% blood alcohol concentration on human postural control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Modig, F; Patel, M; Magnusson, M; Fransson, P A

    2012-03-01

    Alcohol intoxication causes many accidental falls presented at emergency departments, with the injury severity often related to level of blood alcohol concentration (BAC). One way to evaluate the decline in postural control and the fall risk is to assess standing stability when challenged. The study objective was to comprehensively investigate alcohol-related impairments on postural control and adaptive motor learning at specific BAC levels. Effects of alcohol intoxication at 0.06% and 0.10% BAC were examined with posturography when unperturbed or perturbed by calf vibration. Twenty-five participants (mean age 25.1 years) were investigated standing with either eyes open or closed. Our results revealed several significant findings: (1) stability declined much faster from alcohol intoxication between 0.06% and 0.10% BAC (60-140%) compared with between 0.0% and 0.06% BAC (30%); (2) sustained exposure to repeated balance perturbations augmented the alcohol-related destabilization; (3) there were stronger effects of alcohol intoxication on stability in lateral direction than in anteroposterior direction; and (4) there was a gradual degradation of postural control particularly in lateral direction when the balance perturbations were repeated at 0.06% and 0.10% BAC, indicating adaptation deficits when intoxicated. To summarize, alcohol has profound deteriorating effects on human postural control, which are dose dependent, time dependent and direction specific. The maximal effects of alcohol intoxication on physiological performance might not be evident initially, but may be revealed first when under sustained sensory-motor challenges. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Inter-rater reliability of the evaluation of muscular chains associated with posture alterations in scoliosis

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    Fortin Carole

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In the Global postural re-education (GPR evaluation, posture alterations are associated with anterior or posterior muscular chain impairments. Our goal was to assess the reliability of the GPR muscular chain evaluation. Methods Design: Inter-rater reliability study. Fifty physical therapists (PTs and two experts trained in GPR assessed the standing posture from photographs of five youths with idiopathic scoliosis using a posture analysis grid with 23 posture indices (PI. The PTs and experts indicated the muscular chain associated with posture alterations. The PTs were also divided into three groups according to their experience in GPR. Experts’ results (after consensus were used to verify agreement between PTs and experts for muscular chain and posture assessments. We used Kappa coefficients (K and the percentage of agreement (%A to assess inter-rater reliability and intra-class coefficients (ICC for determining agreement between PTs and experts. Results For the muscular chain evaluation, reliability was moderate to substantial for 12 PI for the PTs (%A: 56 to 82; K: 0.42 to 0.76 and perfect for 19 PI for the experts. For posture assessment, reliability was moderate to substantial for 12 PI for the PTs (%A > 60%; K: 0.42 to 0.75 and moderate to perfect for 18 PI for the experts (%A: 80 to 100; K: 0.55 to 1.00. The agreement between PTs and experts was good for most muscular chain evaluations (18 PI; ICC: 0.82 to 0.99 and PI (19 PI; ICC: 0.78 to 1.00. Conclusions The GPR muscular chain evaluation has good reliability for most posture indices. GPR evaluation should help guide physical therapists in targeting affected muscles for treatment of abnormal posture patterns.

  19. Body posture and postural stability of people practicing qigong

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacek Wilczyński

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Correct and stable posture is essential for the implementation of the majority of voluntary movements and locomotion. The study of postural stability is an element of clinical trials evaluating physical activity in order to determine the optimal therapeutic procedures. Qigong exercises are not only a form of prevention, helpful in maintaining wellbeing, but also a means of therapy in many diseases, including disorders of postural stability. Aim of the research: To analyse the association between the quality of posture and postural stability of people practicing qigong. Material and methods : The study involved 32 people. The mean age of those tested was 54 years. Posture study used optoelectronic method Diers formetric III 4D. Postural stability was tested on the platform Biodex Balance System. The studies were performed at the Posture Laboratory of the Institute of Physiotherapy at Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce. Results and conclusions : Spearman rank order correlation showed a positive correlation of relative rotation of the spine area with a general indicator of stability (p = 0.0206 at an average level (R = 0.4075 and with the index of the stability A/P (p = 0.0310, although at a lower level (R = 0.3819. With the increase in the relative rotation of the spine area the overall stability indicator and stability indicator A/P also increased. Significant positive correlations were also seen for the surface rotation (+max and a general indication of the stability and the stability index A/P. With the increase of surface rotation (+max of the spine the overall stability indicator and stability indicator A/P also increased.

  20. Postural changes in women with chronic pelvic pain: a case control study

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    Nogueira Antonio A

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Chronic pelvic pain (CPP is a lower abdominal pain lasting at least 6 months, occurring continuously or intermittently and not associated exclusively with menstruation or intercourse. Although the musculoskeletal system has been found to be involved in CPP, few studies have assessed the contribution of posture in women with CPP. We aimed to determine if the frequency of postural changes was higher in women with CPP than healthy subjects. Methods A case-control study included 108 women with CPP of more than 6 months' duration (CPP group who consecutively attended at the Hospital of the University of São Paulo and 48 healthy female volunteers (control group. Postural assessment was noninvasive and performed in the standing position, with the reference points of Kendall used as normal parameters. Factors associated with CPP were assessed by logistic regression analysis. Results Logistic regression showed that the independent factors associated with CPP were postural changes in the cervical spine (OR 4.1; 95% CI 1.6–10.7; p Conclusion Musculoskeletal changes were associated with CPP in 34% of women. These findings suggest that a more detailed assessment of women with CPP is necessary for better diagnosis and for more effective treatment.

  1. Can vibratory feedback be used to improve postural stability in persons with transtibial limb loss?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rusaw, David; Hagberg, Kerstin; Nolan, Lee; Ramstrand, Nerrolyn

    2012-01-01

    The use of vibration as a feedback modality to convey motion of the body has been shown to improve measures of postural stability in some groups of patients. Because individuals using transtibial prostheses lack sensation distal to the amputation, vibratory feedback could possibly be used to improve their postural stability. The current investigation provided transtibial prosthesis users (n = 24, mean age 48 yr) with vibratory feedback proportional to the signal received from force transducers located under the prosthetic foot. Postural stability was evaluated by measuring center of pressure (CoP) movement, limits of stability, and rhythmic weight shift while participants stood on a force platform capable of rotations in the pitch plane (toes up/toes down). The results showed that the vibratory feedback increased the mediolateral displacement amplitude of CoP in standing balance and reduced the response time to rapid voluntary movements of the center of gravity. The results suggest that the use of vibratory feedback in an experimental setting leads to improvements in fast open-loop mechanisms of postural control in transtibial prosthesis users.

  2. Association between Unintentional Interpersonal Postural Coordination Produced by Interpersonal Light Touch and the Intensity of Social Relationship

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    Tomoya Ishigaki

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Interpersonal postural coordination (IPC produced by interpersonal light touch (ILT, whereby time-series variations in the postural sway between two people unintentionally resemble each other, may be a possible social interaction. From a sociopsychological standpoint, close mutual behavioral coordination is recognized as “social glue,” which represents the closeness of relationships and contributes to the building of a good rapport. Therefore, we hypothesized that if IPC functions as social glue, then IPC produced by ILT also represents a social relationship. Participants were dyadic pairs with a preexisting social relationship (acquaintance, friend, or best-friend, and we assessed the closeness between the partners. Postural sway in two quiet standing conditions—no touch (NT and ILT (a mutual light touch with <1 N condition—was concurrently measured with the side-by-side standing position, and the association of IPC with intradyadic closeness (rapport was analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. The results showed that unintentional IPC was higher in both axes of the ILT condition than in NT condition. Additionally, IPC in the mediolateral axis (the partner side of the ILT condition was positively correlated with intradyadic closeness, whereas that in the anteroposterior axis (the non-partner side showed a negative association. As expected, IPC represented intradyadic closeness (rapport. Results indicate that, in unintentional IPC produced by ILT, the priority of processing sensory feedback for postural control, which is received from the individual and a partner, is modulated depending on the rapport in interactional coupled feedback loops between the two individuals (i.e., good rapport increases the degree of taking in feedback from a partner. Thus, unintentional IPC produced by ILT functions as social glue, and it provides an understanding of the sociopsychological aspect in the human-to-human postural coordination mechanism.

  3. Behavior of medial gastrocnemius motor units during postural reactions to external perturbations after stroke.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pollock, C L; Ivanova, T D; Hunt, M A; Garland, S J

    2015-10-01

    This study investigated the behavior of medial gastrocnemius (GM) motor units (MU) during external perturbations in standing in people with chronic stroke. GM MUs were recorded in standing while anteriorly-directed perturbations were introduced by applying loads of 1% body mass (BM) at the pelvis every 25-40s until 5% BM was maintained. Joint kinematics, surface electromyography (EMG), and force platform measurements were assessed. Although external loads caused a forward progression of the anterior-posterior centre of pressure (APCOP), people with stroke decreased APCOP velocity and centre of mass (COM) velocity immediately following the highest perturbations, thereby limiting movement velocity in response to perturbations. MU firing rate did not increase with loading but the GM EMG magnitude increased, reflecting MU recruitment. MU inter spike interval (ISI) during the dynamic response was negatively correlated with COM velocity and hip angular velocity. The GM utilized primarily MU recruitment to maintain standing during external perturbations. The lack of MU firing rate modulation occurred with a change in postural central set. However, the relationship of MU firing rate with kinematic variables suggests underlying long-loop responses may be somewhat intact after stroke. People with stroke demonstrate alterations in postural control strategies which may explain MU behavior with external perturbations. Copyright © 2014 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Can Tai Chi and Qigong Postures Shape Our Mood? Toward an Embodied Cognition Framework for Mind-Body Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamila Osypiuk

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Dynamic and static body postures are a defining characteristic of mind-body practices such as Tai Chi and Qigong (TCQ. A growing body of evidence supports the hypothesis that TCQ may be beneficial for psychological health, including management and prevention of depression and anxiety. Although a variety of causal factors have been identified as potential mediators of such health benefits, physical posture, despite its visible prominence, has been largely overlooked. We hypothesize that body posture while standing and/or moving may be a key therapeutic element mediating the influence of TCQ on psychological health. In the present paper, we summarize existing experimental and observational evidence that suggests a bi-directional relationship between body posture and mental states. Drawing from embodied cognitive science, we provide a theoretical framework for further investigation into this interrelationship. We discuss the challenges involved in such an investigation and propose suggestions for future studies. Despite theoretical and practical challenges, we propose that the role of posture in mind-body exercises such as TCQ should be considered in future research.

  5. Intra-observer and interobserver reliability ofOne Leg Stand Test as a measure of posturalbalance in low back pain patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maribo, Thomas; Iversen, Elena; Andersen, Niels Trolle

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To determine the absolute and relative reliability of intra-observer and interobserver To determine the absolute and relative reliability of intra-observer and interobserver measurements of postural balance using the One Leg Stand Test in patients with low back pain. Patients and methods...... to stand for the maximum time, and no further analysis was done. Eyes closed: intra-observer reliability was tested in 21 patients; absolute reliability showed a standard error of the measurement (SEM) of 2.48 s and a minimal detectable change (MDC) of 6.88. The relative reliability was acceptable...... with an intra class correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.86. Interobserver reliability was tested in 27 patients; absolute reliability showed a SEM of 1.42 s and a MDC of 3.95. The relative reliability was acceptable with an ICC of 0.91. Conclusions: The One Leg Stand Test can be used to test postural balance...

  6. Univariate and Bivariate Empirical Mode Decomposition for Postural Stability Analysis

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    Jacques Duchêne

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper was to compare empirical mode decomposition (EMD and two new extended methods of  EMD named complex empirical mode decomposition (complex-EMD and bivariate empirical mode decomposition (bivariate-EMD. All methods were used to analyze stabilogram center of pressure (COP time series. The two new methods are suitable to be applied to complex time series to extract complex intrinsic mode functions (IMFs before the Hilbert transform is subsequently applied on the IMFs. The trace of the analytic IMF in the complex plane has a circular form, with each IMF having its own rotation frequency. The area of the circle and the average rotation frequency of IMFs represent efficient indicators of the postural stability status of subjects. Experimental results show the effectiveness of these indicators to identify differences in standing posture between groups.

  7. AN EVALUATION OF THE REARFOOT POSTURE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN SYNDROME

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    Wendy Gilleard

    2004-11-01

    Full Text Available Structural abnormalities of the foot may cause abnormal subtalar joint compensatory motion in order to attain normal function of the lower extremity during gait although studies have not been conclusive. Current conflict in the literature may be related to the differing measures focused on the varying protocols and also the absence of a control group in some studies. This study investigated the rearfoot posture including Subtalar Joint Neutral Position (STJN and Relaxed Calcaneal Standing (RCS measurements in patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS and healthy subjects. The angle of STJN during non-weight bearing position and the two dimensional (2D rearfoot RCS posture was measured using a goniometer in 14 healthy females and 13 females with PFPS. The RCS posture was also measured three dimensionally (3D by attaching external markers to a tibia shell and the calcaneus and videoing with a four-camera three-dimensional motion analysis system. A one way ANOVA was used to assess the differences between the groups. The 2D and 3D RCS were significantly different between the groups (p ¡Ü 0.001 with mean -0.23¡ã ¡À 1.35¡ã , 2.52¡ã ¡À 3.11¡ã for the control group and 2.35¡ã ¡À 1.4¡ã, 7.02¡ã ¡À 3.33¡ã for the clinical group respectively. STJN showed a slight rearfoot varus (although significant p = 0.04 in PFPS (-2.20¡ã ¡À 1.51¡ã compared to the control group (-1.00¡ã ¡À 1.36¡ã. Negative values indicated inversion and positive values indicated eversion. The 2D and 3D RCS showed a significantly more everted posture of the rearfoot for the PFPS group. Subtalar joint varus may contribute to the increased eversion during relaxed standing in the PFPS group. Rearfoot measurements may be an important addition to other clinical measurements taken to explore the underlying aetiology of subjects with PFPS.

  8. Short-term effects of whole-body vibration on postural control in unilateral chronic stroke patients: preliminary evidence.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nes, I.J.W. van; Geurts, A.C.H.; Hendricks, H.T.; Duysens, J.E.J.

    2004-01-01

    The short-term effects of whole-body vibration as a novel method of somatosensory stimulation on postural control were investigated in 23 chronic stroke patients. While standing on a commercial platform, patients received 30-Hz oscillations at 3 mm of amplitude in the frontal plane. Balance was

  9. Postural control of elderly: moving to predictable and unpredictable targets.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jongman, Vera; Lamoth, Claudine J C; van Keeken, Helco; Caljouw, Simone R

    2012-01-01

    Impaired postural control with muscle weakness is an important predictor of falls within the elderly population.Particular daily activities that require weight shifting in order to be able to reach a specific target (a cup on a table) require continuous adjustments to keep the body's center of mass

  10. The effect of a hybrid assistive limb® on sit-to-stand and standing patterns of stroke patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasai, Rie; Takeda, Sunao

    2016-01-01

    [Purpose] The Hybrid Assistive Limb® (HAL®) robot suit is a powered exoskeleton that can assist a user’s lower limb movement. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of HAL® in stroke rehabilitation, focusing on the change of the sit-to-stand (STS) movement pattern and standing posture. [Subjects and Methods] Five stroke patients participated in this study. Single leg HAL® was attached to each subject’s paretic lower limb. The subjects performed STS three times both with and without HAL® use. A tri-axial accelerometer was used to assess the STS movement pattern. Forward-tilt angle (FTA) and the time required for STS were measured with and without HAL® use. Surface electromyography (EMG) of STS and standing were recorded to assess the vastus medialis muscle activities of the paretic limb. [Results] The average FTA without HAL® use was 35° and it improved to 43° with HAL® use. The time required for STS was longer for all subjects with HAL® use (without HAL® use: 3.42 s, with HAL® use: 5.11 s). The integrated EMGs of HAL® use compared to those without HAL®, were 83.6% and 66.3% for STS and standing, respectively. [Conclusion] HAL® may be effective in improving STS and standing patterns of stroke patients. PMID:27390416

  11. Head posture and neck pain of chronic nontraumatic origin: a comparison between patients and pain-free persons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Anabela G; Punt, T David; Sharples, Paul; Vilas-Boas, João P; Johnson, Mark I

    2009-04-01

    To compare standing head posture measurements between patients with nontraumatic neck pain (NP) and pain-free individuals. Single-blind (assessor) cross-sectional study. Hospital and general community. Consecutive patients (n=40) with chronic nontraumatic NP and age- and sex-matched pain-free participants (n=40). Not applicable. Three angular measurements: the angle between C7, the tragus of the ear, and the horizontal; the angle between the tragus of the ear, the eye, and the horizontal; and the angle between the inferior margins of the right and the left ear and the horizontal were calculated through the digitization of video images. NP patients were found to have a significantly smaller angle between C7, the tragus, and the horizontal, resulting in a more forward head posture than pain-free participants (NP, mean +/- SD, 45.4 degrees +/-6.8 degrees ; pain-free, mean +/- SD, 48.6 degrees +/-7.1 degrees ; P50y) revealed an interaction, with a statistically significant difference in head posture for younger participants with NP compared with younger pain-free participants (NP, mean +/- SD, 46.1 degrees +/-6.7 degrees ; pain-free, mean +/- SD, 51.8 degrees +/-5.9 degrees ; P.05; CI for the difference between groups, -4.9 degrees -4.2 degrees ). No other differences were found between patients and pain-free participants. Younger patients with chronic nontraumatic NP were shown to have a more forward head posture in standing than matched pain-free participants. However, the difference, although statistically significant, was perhaps too small to be clinically meaningful.

  12. Stability of vertical posture explored with unexpected mechanical perturbations: synergy indices and motor equivalence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamagata, Momoko; Falaki, Ali; Latash, Mark L

    2018-03-21

    We explored the relations between indices of mechanical stability of vertical posture and synergy indices under unexpected perturbations. The main hypotheses predicted higher posture-stabilizing synergy indices and higher mechanical indices of center of pressure stability during perturbations perceived by subjects as less challenging. Healthy subjects stood on a force platform and held in fully extended arms a bar attached to two loads acting downward and upward. One of the loads was unexpectedly released by the experimenter causing a postural perturbations. In different series, subjects either knew or did not know which of the two loads would be released. Forward perturbations were perceived as more challenging and accompanied by co-activation patterns among the main agonist-antagonist pairs. Backward perturbation led to reciprocal muscle activation patterns and was accompanied by indices of mechanical stability and of posture-stabilizing synergy which indicated higher stability. Changes in synergy indices were observed as early as 50-100 ms following the perturbation reflecting involuntary mechanisms. In contrast, predictability of perturbation direction had weak or no effect on mechanical and synergy indices of stability. These observations are interpreted within a hierarchical scheme of synergic control of motor tasks and a hypothesis on the control of movements with shifts of referent coordinates. The findings show direct correspondence between stability indices based on mechanics and on the analysis of multi-muscle synergies. They suggest that involuntary posture-stabilizing mechanisms show synergic organization. They also show that predictability of perturbation direction has strong effects on anticipatory postural adjustment but not corrective adjustments. We offer an interpretation of co-activation patterns that questions their contribution to postural stability.

  13. Interactions between posture and locomotion: motor patterns in humans walking with bent posture versus erect posture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grasso, R; Zago, M; Lacquaniti, F

    2000-01-01

    Human erect locomotion is unique among living primates. Evolution selected specific biomechanical features that make human locomotion mechanically efficient. These features are matched by the motor patterns generated in the CNS. What happens when humans walk with bent postures? Are normal motor patterns of erect locomotion maintained or completely reorganized? Five healthy volunteers walked straight and forward at different speeds in three different postures (regular, knee-flexed, and knee- and trunk-flexed) while their motion, ground reaction forces, and electromyographic (EMG) activity were recorded. The three postures imply large differences in the position of the center of body mass relative to the body segments. The elevation angles of the trunk, pelvis, and lower limb segments relative to the vertical in the sagittal plane, the ground reaction forces and the rectified EMGs were analyzed over the gait cycle. The waveforms of the elevation angles along the gait cycle remained essentially unchanged irrespective of the adopted postures. The first two harmonics of these kinematic waveforms explain >95% of their variance. The phase shift but not the amplitude ratio between the first harmonic of the elevation angle waveforms of adjacent pairs was affected systematically by changes in posture. Thigh, shank, and foot angles covaried close to a plane in all conditions, but the plane orientation was systematically different in bent versus erect locomotion. This was explained by the changes in the temporal coupling among the three segments. For walking speeds >1 m s(-1), the plane orientation of bent locomotion indicates a much lower mechanical efficiency relative to erect locomotion. Ground reaction forces differed prominently in bent versus erect posture displaying characteristics intermediate between those typical of walking and those of running. Mean EMG activity was greater in bent postures for all recorded muscles independent of the functional role. The waveforms

  14. The contribution of proprioceptive information to postural control in elderly and patients with Parkinson's disease with a history of falls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bekkers, Esther M J; Dockx, Kim; Heremans, Elke; Vercruysse, Sarah; Verschueren, Sabine M P; Mirelman, Anat; Nieuwboer, Alice

    2014-01-01

    Proprioceptive deficits negatively affect postural control but their precise contribution to postural instability in Parkinson's disease (PD) is unclear. We investigated if proprioceptive manipulations differentially affect balance, measured by force plates, during quiet standing in 13 PD patients and 13 age-matched controls with a history of falls. Perceived limits of stability (LoS) were derived from the differences between maximal center of pressure (CoP) displacement in anterior-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) direction during a maximal leaning task. Task conditions comprised standing with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC): (1) on a stable surface; (2) an unstable surface; and (3) with Achilles tendon vibration. CoP displacements were calculated as a percentage of their respective LoS. Perceived LoS did not differ between groups. PD patients showed greater ML CoP displacement than elderly fallers (EF) across all conditions (p = 0.043) and tended to have higher postural sway in relation to the LoS (p = 0.050). Both groups performed worse on an unstable surface and during tendon vibration compared to standing on a stable surface with EO and even more so with EC. Both PD and EF had more AP sway in all conditions with EC compared to EO (p postural control in fallers with and without PD. PD fallers showed higher ML sway after sensory manipulations, as a result of which these values approached their perceived LoS more closely than in EF. We conclude that despite a similar fall history, PD patients showed more ML instability than EF, irrespective of sensory manipulation, but had a similar reliance on ankle proprioception. Hence, we recommend that rehabilitation and fall prevention for PD should focus on motor rather than on sensory aspects.

  15. Sympathetic dysfunction in vasovagal syncope and the postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elisabeth eLambert

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Orthostatic intolerance is the inability to tolerate the upright posture and is relieved by recumbence. It most commonly affects young women and has a major impact on quality of life and psychosocial well being. Several forms of orthostatic intolerance have been described. The most common one is the recurrent vasovagal syncope (VVS phenotype which presents as a transient and abrupt loss of consciousness and postural tone that is followed by rapid recovery. Another common type of orthostatic intolerance is the postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS which is characterized by an excessive rise in heart rate upon standing and is associated with symptoms of presyncope such as light-headedness, fatigue, palpitations and nausea. Maintenance of arterial pressure under condition of reduced central blood volume during the orthostasis is accomplished in large part through sympathetic efferent nerve traffic to the peripheral vasculature. Therefore sympathetic nervous system (SNS dysfunction is high on the list of possible contributors to the pathophysiology of orthostatic intolerance. Investigations into the role of the SNS in orthostatic intolerance have yielded mixed results. This review outlines the current knowledge of the function of the SNS in both VVS and POTS.

  16. Beyond deficit or compensation: new insights on postural control after long-term total visual loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russo, Maitê M; Lemos, Thiago; Imbiriba, Luís A; Ribeiro, Nathalia L; Vargas, Claudia D

    2017-02-01

    Loss of vision is well known to affect postural control in blind subjects. This effect has classically been framed in terms of deficit or compensation depending on whether body sway increases or decreases in comparison with that of sighted subjects with the eyes open. However, studies have shown that postural responses can be modulated by the context and that changes in postural sway may not necessarily mean a worsened or improved postural control. The goal of our study was to test whether balance is affected by the context in blind subjects. Additional to the quantification of center of pressure (COP) displacement, measurements of body motion (COG) and the correspondent net neuromuscular response (COP-COG) were evaluated in anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions. Thirty-eight completely blind and thirty-two sighted subjects participated of this study. The volunteers were asked to stand barefoot on a force platform for 60 s in two different conditions: feet apart and feet together. Sighted participants performed the tests with both the eyes open and eyes closed. Results showed that the COP-COG displacements in the blind group were greater than those of the sighted group with eyes open in almost all conditions tested, but not in eyes closed condition. However, the COP and COG results confirmed that the postural responses were context dependent. Together these results suggest that total visual loss does not just lead to a balance deficit or compensation, but to a specific postural signature that might imply in enhancing COP, COG and/or COP-COG in specific postural conditions.

  17. [Maternal posture and its influence on birthweight].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takito, Monica Yuri; Benício, Maria Helena D'Aquino; Latorre, Maria do Rosário Dias de Oliveira

    2005-06-01

    To analyze the relationship between maternal posture/physical activity and inadequate birthweight. Prospective cohort study involving 152 pregnant women from a public low-risk antenatal care facility. Three interviews evaluating the frequency of physical activity were administered to each pregnant woman during gestation. Birthweight (inadequate when or =3,000 g) was the dependent variable and the frequency of physical activity the independent variable. Statistical analysis was performed using logistic univariate analysis and multiple regression controlling for schooling, smoking, living with spouse, and baseline nutritional status. The practice of walking for at least 50 minutes during the first period of pregnancy was identified as a protective factor against inadequate birthweight (adjusted OR=0.44; 95% CI: 0.20-0.98). Standing for 2.5 hours or longer during the second semester of pregnancy was associated with increased risk (adjusted OR=3.23; 95% CI: 1.30-7.99). Dose-response relationships were identified for washing clothing by hand and cooking (p-value for linear trend clothing during the second trimester of gestation remained statistically significant. Our results show the importance of medical orientation regarding posture and physical activity during antenatal care, aiming at the reduction of inadequate birthweight.

  18. Effect of Symmetry Improvement in Weight Bearing on Postural Stability of Hemiparetic Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hossein Asghar-Hosseini

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Impaired postural control has been known as the main cause of fall in hemiparesis after stroke. Is Asymmetry of weight bearing on lower limb is one of the prominent characteristics of postural imbalance in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of symmetry improvement in weight bearing through therapeutic interventions on postural stability in hemiparetic patients. Materials & Methods: In this quasi – experimental study which 27 hemiparetic patients were selected through sample of convenience by simple method from men and women who were referred to neurology clinic of Hazrat-e-Rasool hospital. For postural assessment patients stood quietly with open eyes and close eyes on force plates. Primary assessments included evaluation of asymmetry index (AI, RMS COP displacement (Root Mean Square of Center of Pressure and RMS COP velocity in both frontal and sagital planes. Then a 10mm lift was inserted under the unaffected limb and primary assessments were repeated. Data were analyzed by repeated measure ANOVA test. Results: Simple main effect of lift on asymmetry index was significant (P<0/0001. There was no significant interaction between vision and lift. Simple main effect of lift on postural stability variables was also non significant (for RMS COP displacement in frontal and sagital planes P=0.186 and P=0.245, respectively and for RMS COP velocity P=0.259 and P=0.342 respectively. Conclusion: Inserting a lift can improve symmetry by shifting center of gravity to midline. Since symmetry improvement did not decrease postural instability, asymmetric weight bearing can not be the primary cause of postural instability and may not be the principal target of rehabilitation programs aiming at restoring standing balance after stroke.

  19. Stiffness control of balance during dual task and prospective falls in older adults: the MOBILIZE Boston Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Hyun Gu; Quach, Lien; Li, Wenjun; Lipsitz, Lewis A

    2013-09-01

    Outdoor fallers differ from indoor fallers substantially in demographics, lifestyle, health condition and physical function. Biomechanical predictors of outdoor falls have not been well characterized. Current validated measures of postural deficits, which describe only the overall postural behavior, are predictive of indoor falls but not outdoor falls. We hypothesized that a model-based description of postural muscle tone and reflexes, particularly during dual tasking, would predict outdoor falls. We tested whether postural stiffness and damping from an inverted pendulum model were predictive of future indoor and outdoor falls among older adults from the MOBILIZE Boston Study. The center of pressure data during standing were obtained from 717 participants aged 77.9±5.3 years. Participants stood barefoot with eyes open for 30s per trial, in two sets of five standing trials. One set included a serial subtractions task. Postural stiffness and damping values were determined from the postural sway data. After the postural measurements, falls were monitored prospectively using a monthly mail-in calendar over 6-36 months. Associations of postural measures with fall rates were determined using negative binomial regressions. After covariate adjustments, postural stiffness (p=0.02-0.05) and damping (p=0.007-0.1) were associated with lower outdoor falls risk, but not with indoor falls. Results were invariant by direction (anteroposterior versus mediolateral) or by condition (quiet standing versus dual task). Outdoor fall risk may be tied to postural control more so than indoor falls. Dual tasking is likely related to fall risk among older and sicker older adults, but not those relatively healthy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Therapeutic actions for the compensation on postural changes in athletes of Race walking

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    Annia Gómez Valdés

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The research that is presented refers to the importance of having a control on the posture alterations that can be appreciated in athletes of sport march (12-15 years old in the sport formation school “Ormani Arenado", Pinar del Río; especially according to the age of these walkers. Its objective is aimed at proposing therapeutic actions for the compensation of the posture alterations, treated from planning physical preparation, based on indications as the positions and convenient movements, treatment goals and exercises for each deformity; addressing individual characteristics. For the realization of the investigation it was used theoretical, empiric and statistical methods which were facilitated to conclude that the adoption of incorrect postures during the training and the intensive use of the skeletal-muscle and locomotive systems impacts in the occurrence of the posture alterations that they rebound negatively in working of the athletes study object, standing out in them cavus feet, varus knees, lordosis and scoliosis; with the result that it is necessary their compensation and / or correction from the training of the physical preparation; so the application of therapeutic actions proposed to confirm their effectiveness in order to extend the study to other categories is recommended.

  1. Postural equilibrium during pregnancy: decreased stability with an increased reliance on visual cues.

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    Butler, Erin E; Colón, Iris; Druzin, Maurice L; Rose, Jessica

    2006-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are changes in postural equilibrium during pregnancy and to examine whether the incidence of falls increases during pregnancy. Static postural balance measures were collected from 12 pregnant women at 11 to 14, 19 to 22, and 36 to 39 weeks gestation and at 6 to 8 weeks after delivery and from 12 nulligravid control subjects who were matched for age, height, weight, and body mass index. Subjects were asked to stand quietly on a stable force platform for 30 seconds with eyes open and closed. Path length and average radial displacement were computed on the basis of the average of 3 trials for each condition. The women were asked at each session if they had sustained a fall in the previous 3 months. Postural stability remained relatively stable during the first trimester; however, second and third trimester and postpartum values for path length and average radial displacement with eyes open and closed were increased significantly compared with the control subjects, which indicates diminished postural balance. The difference between the eyes open and closed values of path length increased as pregnancy progressed. Although 25% of pregnant women sustained falls, none of the control subjects had fallen in the past year. These data suggest that postural stability declines during pregnancy and remains diminished at 6 to 8 weeks after delivery. The study also indicates that there is an increased reliance on visual cues to maintain balance during pregnancy.

  2. Fingertip touch improves postural stability in patients with peripheral neuropathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickstein, R; Shupert, C L; Horak, F B

    2001-12-01

    The purpose of this work was to determine whether fingertip touch on a stable surface could improve postural stability during stance in subjects with somatosensory loss in the feet from diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The contribution of fingertip touch to postural stability was determined by comparing postural sway in three touch conditions (light, heavy and none) in eight patients and eight healthy control subjects who stood on two surfaces (firm or foam) with eyes open or closed. In the light touch condition, fingertip touch provided only somatosensory information because subjects exerted less than 1 N of force with their fingertip to a force plate, mounted on a vertical support. In the heavy touch condition, mechanical support was available because subjects transmitted as much force to the force plate as they wished. In the no touch condition, subjects held the right forefinger above the force plate. Antero-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) root mean square (RMS) of center of pressure (CoP) sway and trunk velocity were larger in subjects with somatosensory loss than in control subjects, especially when standing on the foam surface. The effects of light and heavy touch were similar in the somatosensory loss and control groups. Fingertip somatosensory input through light touch attenuated both AP and ML trunk velocity as much as heavy touch. Light touch also reduced CoP sway compared to no touch, although the decrease in CoP sway was less effective than with heavy touch, particularly on the foam surface. The forces that were applied to the touch plate during light touch preceded movements of the CoP, lending support to the suggestion of a feedforward mechanism in which fingertip inputs trigger the activation of postural muscles for controlling body sway. These results have clinical implications for understanding how patients with peripheral neuropathy may benefit from a cane for postural stability in stance.

  3. Multi-muscle electrical stimulation and stand training: Effects on standing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Momeni, Kamyar; Ramanujam, Arvind; Garbarini, Erica L; Forrest, Gail F

    2018-02-15

    To examine the biomechanical and neuromuscular effects of a longitudinal multi-muscle electrical stimulation (submaximal intensities) training of the lower limbs combined with/without activity-based stand training, on the recovery of stability and function for one individual with spinal cord injury (SCI). Single-subject, longitudinal study. Neuroplasticity laboratory. A 34-year-old male, with sensory- and motor-complete SCI (C5/C6). Two consecutive interventions: 61 hours of supine, lower-limb ES (ES-alone) and 51 hours of ES combined with stand training using an overhead body-weight support system (ST + ES). Clinical measures, trunk stability, and muscle activity were assessed and compared across time points. Trunk Stability Limit (TSL) determined improvements in trunk independence. Functional clinical values increased after both interventions, with further increases post ST + ES. Post ES-alone, trunk stability was maintained at 81% body-weight (BW) loading before failure; post ST + ES, BW loading increased to 95%. TSL values decreased post ST + ES (TSL A/P =54.0 kg.cm, TSL M/L =14.5 kg.cm), compared to ES-alone (TSL A/P =8.5 kg.cm, TSL M/L =3.9 kg.cm). Trunk muscle activity decreased post ST + ES training, compared to ES-alone. Neuromuscular and postural trunk control dramatically improved following the multi-muscle ES of the lower limbs with stand training. Multi-muscle ES training paradigm of the lower limb, using traditional parameters, may contribute to the functional recovery of the trunk.

  4. Postural control and functional balance in individuals with diabetic peripheral neuropathy

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    Ana Claudia de Souza Fortaleza

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN brings on reduced somatosensation, which can lead to changes in postural control. The objective of this study was to evaluate postural control in a standing position and in different conditions, as well as functional balance in individuals with DPN, make the correlation between the results obtained from the postural control assessment with the values from the functional balance test and compare the results obtained in the neuropathy group with those of the control group, checking for possible differences between the evaluation conditions of both groups. The study included 13 women with DPN (NG and 17 non-diabetic women (CG. Postural control assessment was performed by kinemetry in the following conditions: eyes opened (EO, eyes closed (EC, and semi-tandem (ST. The data was processed in MATLAB and the following variables were generated: mean amplitude of oscillation (MAO in the anterior-posterior (AP and medial-lateral (ML direction; and average speed of oscillation (ASO in AP and ML direction. Functional balance was assessed by the Timed Up and Go Test. There was significant difference between the groups (p≤0.005 in MAO-AP EO and EC, MAO-ML EC and ST, and ASO-ML ST. There were differences between the conditions EO and ST (p≤0.005 and EC and ST (p≤0.005 for the variables MAO-ML and ASO-ML with greater damage to the NG, which also had a lower functional balance (p=0.001. ML instability was positively correlated with functional imbalance. The results show a change in the postural control system in the DPN, which could lead these individuals to a higher risk for falls and functional impairment.

  5. Postural adaptation of the spatial reference frames to microgravity: back to the egocentric reference frame.

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    Sébastien Viel

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In order to test how gravitational information would affect the choice of stable reference frame used to control posture and voluntary movement, we have analysed the forearm stabilisation during sit to stand movement under microgravity condition obtained during parabolic flights. In this study, we hypothesised that in response to the transient loss of graviceptive information, the postural adaptation might involve the use of several strategies of segmental stabilisation, depending on the subject's perceptual typology (dependence--independence with respect to the visual field. More precisely, we expected a continuum of postural strategies across subjects with 1 at one extreme the maintaining of an egocentric reference frame and 2 at the other the re-activation of childhood strategies consisting in adopting an egocentric reference frame. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To check this point, a forearm stabilisation task combined with a sit to stand movement was performed with eyes closed by 11 subjects during parabolic flight campaigns. Kinematic data were collected during 1-g and 0-g periods. The postural adaptation to microgravity's constraint may be described as a continuum of strategies ranging from the use of an exo- to an egocentric reference frame for segmental stabilisation. At one extremity, the subjects used systematically an exocentric frame to control each of their body segments independently, as under normogravity conditions. At the other, the segmental stabilisation strategies consist in systematically adopting an egocentric reference frame to control their forearm's stabilisation. A strong correlation between the mode of segmental stabilisation used and the perceptual typology (dependence--independence with respect to the visual field of the subjects was reported. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show different subjects' typologies from those that use the forearm orientation in a mainly exocentric reference frame to

  6. Identification of the unstable human postural control system

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    Sungjae eHwang

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Maintaining upright bipedal posture requires a control system that continually adapts to changing environmental conditions, such as different support surfaces. Behavioral changes associated with different support surfaces, such as the predominance of an ankle or hip strategy, is considered to reflect a change in the control strategy. However, tracing such behavioral changes to a specific component in a closed loop control system is challenging. Here we used the joint input-output (JIO method of closed-loop system identification to identify the musculoskeletal and neural feedback components of the human postural control loop. The goal was to establish changes in the control loop corresponding to behavioral changes observed on different support surfaces. Subjects were simultaneously perturbed by two independent mechanical and two independent sensory perturbations while standing on a normal or short support surface. The results show a dramatic phase reversal between visual input and body kinematics due to the change in surface condition from trunk leads legs to legs lead trunk with increasing frequency of the visual perturbation. Through decomposition of the control loop, we found that behavioral change is not necessarily due to a change in control strategy, but in the case of different support surfaces, is linked to changes in properties of the plant. The JIO method is an important tool to identify the contribution of specific components within a closed loop control system to overall postural behavior and may be useful to devise better treatment of balance disorders.

  7. Two stages and three components of the postural preparation to action.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishnan, Vennila; Aruin, Alexander S; Latash, Mark L

    2011-07-01

    Previous studies of postural preparation to action/perturbation have primarily focused on anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs), the changes in muscle activation levels resulting in the production of net forces and moments of force. We hypothesized that postural preparation to action consists of two stages: (1) Early postural adjustments (EPAs), seen a few hundred ms prior to an expected external perturbation and (2) APAs seen about 100 ms prior to the perturbation. We also hypothesized that each stage consists of three components, anticipatory synergy adjustments seen as changes in covariation of the magnitudes of commands to muscle groups (M-modes), changes in averaged across trials levels of muscle activation, and mechanical effects such as shifts of the center of pressure. Nine healthy participants were subjected to external perturbations created by a swinging pendulum while standing in a semi-squatting posture. Electrical activity of twelve trunk and leg muscles and displacements of the center of pressure were recorded and analyzed. Principal component analysis was used to identify four M-modes within the space of muscle activations using indices of integrated muscle activation. This analysis was performed twice, over two phases, 400-700 ms prior to the perturbation and over 200 ms just prior to the perturbation. Similar robust results were obtained using the data from both phases. An index of a multi-M-mode synergy stabilizing the center of pressure displacement was computed using the framework of the uncontrolled manifold hypothesis. The results showed high synergy indices during quiet stance. Each of the two stages started with a drop in the synergy index followed by a change in the averaged across trials activation levels in postural muscles. There was a very long electromechanical delay during the early postural adjustments and a much shorter delay during the APAs. Overall, the results support our main hypothesis on the two stages and three components

  8. Shift of the Muscular Inhibition Latency during On-Line Acquisition of Anticipatory Postural Adjustments.

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    Fanny Barlaam

    Full Text Available During action, Anticipatory Postural Adjustments (APAs cancel the consequences of a movement on postural stabilization. Their muscular expression is characterized by early changes in the activity of the postural muscles, before the movement begins. To explore the mechanisms enabling the acquisition of APAs, a learning paradigm was designed in which the voluntary lifting of a load with one hand triggered the unloading of another load suspended below the contralateral forearm. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the muscular expression that uncovers the progressive learning of new APAs. A trial-by-trial analysis of kinematic and electromyographic signals recorded on the right arm was conducted in twelve adults through six sessions of learning. Kinematic results reported an enhancement of the postural stabilization across learning. The main EMG pattern found during learning consisted of a flexor inhibition, where latency was shifted towards an earlier occurrence in parallel with the improvement of the postural performance. A linear regression analysis conducted between the inhibition latency and the maximal amplitude of elbow rotation showed that the earlier the inhibition onset, the better the postural stabilization. This study revealed that the progressive shift of the postural flexor inhibition latency could be considered as a reliable neurophysiological marker of the progressive learning of new APAs. Importantly, this marker could be used to track motor learning abnormalities in pathology. We relate our findings to the update of a forward predictive model of action, defined as a system that predicts beforehand the consequences of the action on posture.

  9. The Contribution of Proprioceptive Information to Postural Control in Elderly and Patients with Parkinson’s Disease with a History of Falls

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bekkers, Esther M. J.; Dockx, Kim; Heremans, Elke; Vercruysse, Sarah; Verschueren, Sabine M. P.; Mirelman, Anat; Nieuwboer, Alice

    2014-01-01

    Proprioceptive deficits negatively affect postural control but their precise contribution to postural instability in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is unclear. We investigated if proprioceptive manipulations differentially affect balance, measured by force plates, during quiet standing in 13 PD patients and 13 age-matched controls with a history of falls. Perceived limits of stability (LoS) were derived from the differences between maximal center of pressure (CoP) displacement in anterior–posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) direction during a maximal leaning task. Task conditions comprised standing with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC): (1) on a stable surface; (2) an unstable surface; and (3) with Achilles tendon vibration. CoP displacements were calculated as a percentage of their respective LoS. Perceived LoS did not differ between groups. PD patients showed greater ML CoP displacement than elderly fallers (EF) across all conditions (p = 0.043) and tended to have higher postural sway in relation to the LoS (p = 0.050). Both groups performed worse on an unstable surface and during tendon vibration compared to standing on a stable surface with EO and even more so with EC. Both PD and EF had more AP sway in all conditions with EC compared to EO (p postural control in fallers with and without PD. PD fallers showed higher ML sway after sensory manipulations, as a result of which these values approached their perceived LoS more closely than in EF. We conclude that despite a similar fall history, PD patients showed more ML instability than EF, irrespective of sensory manipulation, but had a similar reliance on ankle proprioception. Hence, we recommend that rehabilitation and fall prevention for PD should focus on motor rather than on sensory aspects. PMID:25505395

  10. The relationship between abdominal muscle activity and pain, disability and fear of movement during standing postural tasks in females with chronic nonspecific low back pain

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    Fatemeh Ehsani

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: It appears that the level of fear of movement changes deep trunk muscle activity in the patients with low back pain (LBP. There is no study to investigate the relationship between deep trunk muscle activity and fear of movement in the patients with LBP. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between abdominal muscle activity and pain, disability and fear of movement during standing postural tasks in females with chronic nonspecific LBP. Materials and Methods: Forty four females participated were asked to maintain their balance during standing on the platform stability levels of Biodex Balance System (BBS. Concurrently, ultrasonography (US data about abdominal muscles thickness measurement were transferred and saved to process offline. The pain intensity, disability and fear of movement were assessed by valid scales and questionnaire. Results: There was not significant correlation between abdominal muscle thickness changes and pain and disability intensity (P>0.05, while significant and inverse correlation between deep abdominal muscle thickness changes and fear of movement was observed in the patients (P<0.05, although this correlation is weak (r= -0.36- -0.32. Conclusion: It seems that increases in fear of movement decrease significantly deep abdominal muscles activity in the patients with LBP. This relationship demonstrates the importance of cognitive behavioral therapy and controlling fear of movement on improvement of deep abdominal muscle activity in the patients with LBP

  11. Effects of the sitting position on the body posture of children aged 11 to 13 years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drza-Grabiec, Justyna; Snela, Sławomir; Rykała, Justyna; Podgórska, Justyna; Rachwal, Maciej

    2015-01-01

    Nowadays, children spend increasingly more time in a seated position, both at school during class and at home in front of a computer or television. The aim of this study was to compare selected parameters describing body posture and scoliosis among children in sitting and standing positions. It was an observational, cross-sectional study involving 91 primary school children aged 11-13 years. The children's backs were photographed in standing and sitting positions. The values of selected parameters were calculated using photogrammetric examination based on the Moire projection phenomenon. The results show significant statistical differences for the parameters defining the anteroposterior curves of the spine. The sitting position resulted in a decreased angle of inclination of the thoracolumbar spine, reduced depths of thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis, and pelvic asymmetry. Maintaining a sitting position for a long time results in advanced asymmetries of the trunk and scoliosis, and causes a decrease in lumbar lordosis and kyphosis of a child's entire spine. Therefore, we advocate the introduction of posture education programs for schoolchildren.

  12. Pain relief is associated with decreasing postural sway in patients with non-specific low back pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruhe, Alexander; Fejer, René; Walker, Bruce

    2012-03-21

    Increased postural sway is well documented in patients suffering from non-specific low back pain, whereby a linear relationship between higher pain intensities and increasing postural sway has been described. No investigation has been conducted to evaluate whether this relationship is maintained if pain levels change in adults with non-specific low back pain. Thirty-eight patients with non-specific low back pain and a matching number of healthy controls were enrolled. Postural sway was measured by three identical static bipedal standing tasks of 90 sec duration with eyes closed in narrow stance on a firm surface. The perceived pain intensity was assessed by a numeric rating scale (NRS-11). The patients received three manual interventions (e.g. manipulation, mobilization or soft tissue techniques) at 3-4 day intervals, postural sway measures were obtained at each occasion. A clinically relevant decrease of four NRS scores in associated with manual interventions correlated with a significant decrease in postural sway. In contrast, if no clinically relevant change in intensity occurred (≤ 1 level), postural sway remained similar compared to baseline. The postural sway measures obtained at follow-up sessions 2 and 3 associated with specific NRS level showed no significant differences compared to reference values for the same pain score. Alterations in self-reported pain intensities are closely related to changes in postural sway. The previously reported linear relationship between the two variables is maintained as pain levels change. Pain interference appears responsible for the altered sway in pain sufferers. This underlines the clinical use of sway measures as an objective monitoring tool during treatment or rehabilitation.

  13. Sagittal lumbar and pelvic alignment in the standing and sitting positions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Endo, Kenji; Suzuki, Hidekazu; Nishimura, Hirosuke; Tanaka, Hidetoshi; Shishido, Takaaki; Yamamoto, Kengo

    2012-11-01

    The sitting position has become the most common posture in today's workplace. In relation to this position, kinematic analysis of the lumbar spine is helpful in understanding the causes of low back pain and its prevention. In this study, we investigated the relationship between sagittal lumbar alignment and pelvic alignment in the standing and sitting positions for 50 healthy adults. Lumbar lordotic angle (LLA), sacral slope (SS), pelvic tilt (PT), and pelvic incidence (PI) were measured on lateral lumbar spine standing and sitting radiographs. Regarding changes from the standing to sitting positions, average LLA, SS, and PT were -16.6° (-49.8 %), -18.7° (-50.3 %), and 18.3° (284.8 %), respectively (P position, lumbar lordosis was reduced and pelvic rotation became posterior. This study showed that LLA decreased by approximately 50 % and PT increased by approximately 25 % in the sitting position compared with the standing position. No significant gender differences were observed for LLA, SS, and PT in the standing position. In the sitting position, however, LLA and SS were markedly larger for women.

  14. FDTD calculations of SAR for child voxel models in different postures between 10 MHz and 3 GHz.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Findlay, R P; Lee, A-K; Dimbylow, P J

    2009-08-01

    Calculations of specific energy absorption rate (SAR) have been performed on the rescaled NORMAN 7-y-old voxel model and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) child 7-y-old voxel model in the standing arms down, arms up and sitting postures. These calculations were for plane-wave exposure under isolated and grounded conditions between 10 MHz and 3 GHz. It was found that there was little difference at each resonant frequency between the whole-body averaged SAR values calculated for the NORMAN and ETRI 7-y-old models for each of the postures studied. However, when compared with the arms down posture, raising the arms increased the SAR by up to 25%. Electric field values required to produce the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection and Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers public basic restriction were calculated, and compared with reference levels for the different child models and postures. These showed that, under certain worst-case exposure conditions, the reference levels may not be conservative.

  15. Monosynaptic Stretch Reflex Fails to Explain the Initial Postural Response to Sudden Lateral Perturbations

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    Andreas Mühlbeier

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Postural reflexes are essential for locomotion and postural stability, and may play an important role in the etiology of chronic back pain. It has recently been theoretically predicted, and with the help of unilateral perturbations of the trunk experimentally confirmed that the sensorimotor control must lower the reflex amplitude for increasing reflex delays to maintain spinal stability. The underlying neuromuscular mechanism for the compensation of postural perturbations, however, is not yet fully understood. In this study, we applied unilateral and bilateral sudden external perturbations to the trunk of healthy subjects and measured the muscular activity and the movement onset of the trunk. We found that the onset of the trunk muscle activity is prior to, or coincident with, the onset of the trunk movement. Additionally, the results of our experiments imply that the muscular response mechanism integrates distant sensory information from both sides of the body. These findings rule out a simple monosynaptic stretch reflex in favor of a more complex polysynaptic postural reflex mechanism to compensate postural perturbations. Moreover, the previously predicted negative correlation between reflex delay and reflex gain was also confirmed for bilateral perturbations.

  16. Growth and yield predictions for upland oak stands. 10 years after initial thinning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin E. Dale; Martin E. Dale

    1972-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to furnish part of the needed information, that is, quantitative estimates of growth and yield 10 years after initial thinning of upland oak stands. All estimates are computed from a system of equations. These predictions are presented here in tabular form for convenient visual inspection of growth and yield trends. The tables show growth...

  17. Comparison of conversion coefficients for equivalent dose in terms of air kerma using a sitting and standing female adult voxel simulators exposure to photons in antero-posterior irradiation geometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cavalcante, F.R.; Galeano, D.C.; Carvalho Júnior, A.B.; Hunt, J.

    2014-01-01

    Due to the difficulty in implementing invasive techniques for calculations of dose for some exposure scenarios, computational simulators have been created to represent as realistically as possible the structures of the human body and through radiation transport simulations to obtain conversion coefficients (CCs) to estimate dose. In most published papers simulators are implemented in the standing posture and this may not describe a real scenario of exposure. In this work we developed exposure scenarios in the Visual Monte Carlo (VMC) code using a female simulator in standing and sitting postures. The simulator was irradiated in the antero-posterior (AP) geometry by a plane source of monoenergetic photons with energy from 10 keV to 2 MeV. The conversion coefficients for equivalent dose in terms of air kerma (H T /K air ) were calculated for both scenarios and compared. The results show that the percentage difference of CCs for the organs of the head and thorax was not significant (less than 5%) since the anatomic position of the organs is the same in both postures. The percentage difference is more significant to the ovaries (71% for photon energy of 20 keV), to the bladder (39% at 60 keV) and to the uterus (37% at 100 keV) due to different processes of radiation interactions in the legs of the simulator when its posture is changed. For organs and tissues that are distributed throughout the entire body, such as bone (21% at 100 keV) and muscle (30% at 80 keV) the percentage difference of CCs reflects a reduction of interaction of photons with the legs of the simulator. Therefore, the calculation of conversion coefficients using simulators in the sitting posture is relevant for a more accurate dose estimation in real exposures to radiation. - Highlights: ► Scenarios of external photon exposures were performed in VMC code. ► The FAX simulator was irradiated in sitting and standing postures. ► The irradiation geometry used was the antero-posterior (AP). ► The

  18. Postural activity monitoring for increasing safety in bomb disposal missions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brusey, James; Rednic, Ramona; Gaura, Elena I; Kemp, John; Poole, Nigel

    2009-01-01

    In enclosed suits, such as those worn by explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) experts, evaporative cooling through perspiration is less effective and, particularly in hot environments, uncompensable heat stress (UHS) may occur. Although some suits have cooling systems, their effectiveness during missions is dependent on the operative's posture. In order to properly assess thermal state, temperature-based assessment systems need to take posture into account. This paper builds on previous work for instrumenting EOD suits with regard to temperature monitoring and proposes to also monitor operative posture with MEMS accelerometers. Posture is a key factor in predicting how body temperature will change and is therefore important in providing local or remote warning of the onset of UHS. In this work, the C4.5 decision tree algorithm is used to produce an on-line classifier that can differentiate between nine key postures from current acceleration readings. Additional features that summarize how acceleration is changing over time are used to improve average classification accuracy to around 97.2%. Without such temporal feature extraction, dynamic postures are difficult to classify accurately. Experimental results show that training over a variety of subjects, and in particular, mixing gender, improves results on unseen subjects. The main advantages of the on-line posture classification system described here are that it is accurate, does not require integration of acceleration over time, and is computationally lightweight, allowing it to be easily supported on wearable microprocessors

  19. Evaluation of the demanded physical effort and posture of workers in forest nursery activity

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    Eduardo da Silva Lopes

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this research was to evaluate the physical effort demanded and the posture of the workers in forest nursery activities and to propose an ergonomic reorganization to improve the security and health levels of workers. The study was carried out with workers of a forestry company located in Parana State, Brazil. The physical effort demanded was evaluation with in a survery of the workers cardiac frequency in different stages of the work using a Polar monitor from Finlandia and work classified in categories as proposed by Apud (1997. To evaluation posture the workers were filmed during the performance of his activities and the data submitted to the software WinOwas of analysis of postures. The results indicated that the work stages considered of higher physical exigency were the substrate preparation and transport of seedlings in polythene bags to vegetation home with cardiac frequency of 120 and 115 bpm and cardiovascular load of 42% and 37%, respectively, with the activities classified as average heavy. The critical posture to workers was at removal substrate in concrete-mixer, due an overload of lumbar column. The seedling production activity showed the necessity of the correction at posture of the workers because in 97% of the total time they stand with the lumbar column curved. It is possible to conclude that the forestry company should take preventive measures to avoid backaches, using educational strategies or changing the operational system.

  20. Development of patient specific cardiovascular models predicting dynamics in response to orthostatic stress challenges

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ottesen, Johnny T.

    2013-01-01

    Physiological realistic models of the controlled cardiovascular system are constructed and validated against clinical data. Special attention is paid to the control of blood pressure, cerebral blood flow velocity, and heart rate during postural challenges, including sit-to-stand and head-up tilt....... This study describes development of patient specific models, and how sensitivity analysis and nonlinear optimization methods can be used to predict patient specific characteristics when analyzed using experimental data. Finally, we discuss how a given model can be used to understand physiological changes...

  1. Is there a relationship between pain intensity and postural sway in patients with non-specific low back pain?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ruhe, A.; Fejer, R.; Walker, B.

    2011-01-01

    compared to healthy controls. In addition, regression analysis revealed a significant and linear increase in postural sway with higher pain ratings for all included COP parameters. Statistically significant changes in mean sway velocity in antero-posterior and medio-lateral direction and sway area were......Background: Increased center of pressure excursions are well documented in patients suffering from non-specific low back pain, whereby the altered postural sway includes both higher mean sway velocities and larger sway area. No investigation has been conducted to evaluate a relationship between...... pain intensity and postural sway in adults (aged 50 or less) with non-specific low back pain. Methods: Seventy-seven patients with non-specific low back pain and a matching number of healthy controls were enrolled. Center of pressure parameters were measured by three static bipedal standing tasks of 90...

  2. Dynamical Properties of Postural Control in Obese Community-Dwelling Older Adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher W. Frames

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Postural control is a key aspect in preventing falls. The aim of this study was to determine if obesity affected balance in community-dwelling older adults and serve as an indicator of fall risk. The participants were randomly assigned to receive a comprehensive geriatric assessment followed by a longitudinal assessment of their fall history. The standing postural balance was measured for 98 participants with a Body Mass Index (BMI ranging from 18 to 63 kg/m2, using a force plate and an inertial measurement unit affixed at the sternum. Participants’ fall history was recorded over 2 years and participants with at least one fall in the prior year were classified as fallers. The results suggest that body weight/BMI is an additional risk factor for falling in elderly persons and may be an important marker for fall risk. The linear variables of postural analysis suggest that the obese fallers have significantly higher sway area and sway ranges, along with higher root mean square and standard deviation of time series. Additionally, it was found that obese fallers have lower complexity of anterior-posterior center of pressure time series. Future studies should examine more closely the combined effect of aging and obesity on dynamic balance.

  3. Postural control and functional balance in individuals with diabetic peripheral neuropathy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Claudia de Souza Fortaleza

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1980-0037.2013v15n3p305 Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN brings on reduced somatosensation, which can lead to changes in postural control. The objective of this study was to evaluate postural control in a standing position and in different conditions, as well as functional balance in individuals with DPN, make the correlation between the results obtained from the postural control assessment with the values from the functional balance test and compare the results obtained in the neuropathy group with those of the control group, checking for possible differences between the evaluation conditions of both groups. The study included 13 women with DPN (NG and 17 non-diabetic women (CG. Postural control assessment was performed by kinemetry in the following conditions: eyes opened (EO, eyes closed (EC, and semi-tandem (ST. The data was processed in MATLAB and the following variables were generated: mean amplitude of oscillation (MAO in the anterior-posterior (AP and medial-lateral (ML direction; and average speed of oscillation (ASO in AP and ML direction. Functional balance was assessed by the Timed Up and Go Test. There was significant difference between the groups (p≤0.005 in MAO-AP EO and EC, MAO-ML EC and ST, and ASO-ML ST. There were differences between the conditions EO and ST (p≤0.005 and EC and ST (p≤0.005 for the variables MAO-ML and ASO-ML with greater damage to the NG, which also had a lower functional balance (p=0.001. ML instability was positively correlated with functional imbalance. The results show a change in the postural control system in the DPN, which could lead these individuals to a higher risk for falls and functional impairment.

  4. The Comparison of Postural Control Ability in Children with/without Dyslexia

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    Morteza Arghiani

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Objective: In some reviewed studies on children with dyslexia it is observed that there is a significant relationship between the ability of postural control and dyslexia. In this study, by controlling the interfering factors, we have reviewed this relation by comparing postural control and balance ability in normal and dyslexic children. Materials & Methods: This case-control study is done on 19 boys with dyslexia (112.90±13.78 and 19 Normal boys (118.42±15.62. Normal children and children with dyslexia were matched in age, height and weight. Positioning duties included standing with adjacent feet on firm surface with open and closed eyes, and with close eyes on the foam and with internal perturbation on firm surface. Duration of each assignment was 35 seconds and the force plate device was used to evaluate the condition performance. Balances component of Bruininks Oseretsky test were take from all of the samples and correlation between functional and laboratory test were examined. Results: The results showed that the area on firm surface with open eyes, internal perturbation dependency rate in the standard deviations of the lateral body sways (SDX and of the antero-posterior body sways (SDY and the surface area, there were significant differences between normal and dyslexic children, but there was not any significant difference between the two groups in path length and mean velocity in different postural control modes (foam, firm surface, open and close eyes and visual dependence in all parameters (path length, velocity and surface area. We did not find significant correlation between Center of Pressure (COP and the balance part of Bruininks Oseretsky test in children with dyslexia. Conclusion: In spite of differences in some postural control parameters between normal group and children with dyslexia, it was not found significant relationship between postural control and dyslexia.

  5. STATIC AND DYNAMIC POSTURE CONTROL IN POSTLINGUAL COCHLEAR IMPLANTED PATIENTS: Effects of dual-tasking, visual and auditory inputs suppression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    BERNARD DEMANZE eLaurence

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Posture control is based on central integration of multisensory inputs, and on internal representation of body orientation in space. This multisensory feedback regulates posture control and continuously updates the internal model of body’s position which in turn forwards motor commands adapted to the environmental context and constraints. The peripheral localization of the vestibular system, close to the cochlea, makes vestibular damage possible following cochlear implant (CI surgery. Impaired vestibular function in CI patients, if any, may have a strong impact on posture stability. The simple postural task of quiet standing is generally paired with cognitive activity in most day life conditions, leading therefore to competition for attentional resources in dual-tasking, and increased risk of fall particularly in patients with impaired vestibular function. This study was aimed at evaluating the effects of post-lingual cochlear implantation on posture control in adult deaf patients. Possible impairment of vestibular function was assessed by comparing the postural performance of patients to that of age-matched healthy subjects during a simple postural task performed in static and dynamic conditions, and during dual-tasking with a visual or auditory memory task. Postural tests were done in eyes open (EO and eyes closed (EC conditions, with the cochlear implant activated (ON or not (OFF. Results showed that the CI patients significantly reduced limits of stability and increased postural instability in static conditions. In dynamic conditions, they spent considerably more energy to maintain equilibrium, and their head was stabilized neither in space nor on trunk while the controls showed a whole body rigidification strategy. Hearing (prosthesis on as well as dual-tasking did not really improve the dynamic postural performance of the CI patients. We conclude that CI patients become strongly visual dependent mainly in challenging postural conditions.

  6. Impact of Cognitive Loading on Postural Control in Parkinson’s Disease With Freezing of Gait

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    Wannipat Buated MSc

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To assess standing balance in Parkinson’s disease (PD patients with and without freezing of gait (FOG during cognitive loading. Method: A balance assessment with cognitive loading, reading (RE and counting backward (CB, was performed by the Nintendo Wii Fit in 60 PD patients (Hoehn and Yahr stages 1-3 at Thammasat University Hospital, Thailand. The participants were grouped into FOG and non-FOG according to the Freezing of Gait–Questionnaire (FOG-Q scores. The center of pressure (CoP in terms of path length (PL, sway area (SA, root mean square (RMS, medio-lateral (ML, and antero-posterior (AP were analyzed. Results: Significant increases of PL were observed in both groups of PD patients during cognitive loading ( p < .001. Meanwhile, the increased differences of PL during cognitive loading in PD-FOG were larger than in PD-non-FOG. The ML displacement during counting backward was significantly increased in PD-FOG ( p = .012. Conclusion: Cognitive loading influenced standing balance and postural sway of PD patients. The effects were more prominent in PD-FOG. These findings represent the interactions between cognitive function, postural control, and FOG in PD.

  7. Effects of DanceSport on walking balance and standing balance among the elderly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sohn, Jeehoon; Park, Sung-Ha; Kim, Sukwon

    2018-05-04

    Dancesport is a popular activity among older adults who look for fun and fitness in Korea. Studies reported positive sociological and psychological effects of dancesport. But, little studies were performed to evaluate the effects of dancesport on balance performances. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of dancesport for 15 weeks on walking balance and standing balance of older adults. Older adults regularly participated in the dancesport program 3 times a week for 15 weeks. The program included Rumba, Cha-cha-cha, and Jive. They exercised the prescribed dancesport at intermediate level for 50-60 mins for each time. A total 22 reflective markers were placed on the anatomical landmarks and 8 cameras were used to measure 3-D positions of participants. Also, center of pressure (COP) data were measured to analyze standing balance using a ground reaction board at 1200 Hz for 30 seconds. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to test the effects of 15 weeks of dancesport on walking balance and standing balance. The results suggested that, after 15 weeks of dancesport participation, older adults' walking balance (48.3 ± 20.3 cm2 vs 38.2 ± 18.2 cm2) and standing balance (COP area: 189.4 ± 85.4 mm2 vs 103.5 ± 55.4mm2, COP distance: 84.2 ± 34.4 cm vs 76.5 ± 21.4 cm) were significantly improved. Performing dancesport would require moving center of mass rapidly and frequently while maintaining posture. This may result in improving walking balance and standing balance in the present study. The study concluded that dancesport would be an effective exercise method in enhancing postural stability of older adults.

  8. Effects of Inspired CO2 and Breathing Resistance on Neurocognitive and Postural Stability in U.S. Navy Divers

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-08-01

    Wii Balance Board . Amplitude and sample entropy...of the subtests. Balance testing Alterations in postural stability (i.e., balance ) were assessed using a Nintendo Wii Balance Board (Nintendo...29. P. Scaglioni-Solano, L. F. Aragón-Vargas, "Validity and Reliability of the Nintendo Wii Balance Board to Assess Standing Balance and

  9. POSTUR PADA WANITA HAMIL

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    Paryono .

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACTIntroduction: Pregnancy effects in changes on all body systems leading to a new balance women and maternal adaptation.Weight gain in pregnant women from both the uterus and breast development generally occurs at the front of the body, butwhen standing they were still able to maintain a posture that does not face. The purpose of this article is to examine thereasons why pregnant women do not fall to front and how the good attitude of the pregnant woman's body.Materials and Methods: Material of this article are literatures related to pregnancy and the pregnant woman's bodyp o s t u r e , a n d t h e y w e r e c o l l e c t e d b y l i t e r a t u r e ' s s t u d y a n d l i t e r a r y s t u d y .Discussion: Increased abdominal distension that makes tilting the pelvis forward, decreased abdominal muscle tone andincrease weight gain in late pregnancy requires a readjustment spinal curvature. Woman's center of gravity shifts forward.Lumbosakrum normal curve should be more curved and the curvature of the servikodorsal be formed to maintain balance.Assessment of anterior view, lateral and posterior body should include an understanding of the physical structures such asjoints and muscles as well as how the meridian pathways. To compensate for the anterior position of the enlarged uterus,lordosis shifting center of gravity to the back of the lower limbs. There is an increased sacroiliac joint mobility,sakrokoksigeal, and pubic joints during pregnancy, possibly due to hormonal changes. Individual assessments will berequired to determine the pattern of muscle for every person, especially for those who have musculoskeletal problems.Conclusions and Recommendations: The size of the stomach in a pregnant woman, then the gravity of the body changes.Body to be biased toward the rear, but this position makes your back hurt. Advice for pregnant women in order to maintainyour posture as follows: head upKeyword : Posture, Pregnancy, Women.

  10. Sit-to-stand at different periods of pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lou, S Z; Chou, Y L; Chou, P H; Lin, C J; Chen, U C; Su, F C

    2001-03-01

    This study was performed to determine the biomechanics of chair rising by pregnant women. Relative body joint position and ground reaction forces were measured by a motion analysis system and one force plate. Physiological and psychological changes during pregnancy impose postural demands and limit the performance of daily living activities such as rising from sitting to standing position. Twenty-four pregnant women, divided into three groups, were studied performing sit-to-stand transition from an armless and adjustable chair. By kinematic and kinetic analysis, the angles and moments of hip, knee and ankle joints were investigated. The chair height has great influence on knee joint and hip joint moments, but less on ankle joints. In the third trimester for all chair heights, because of a marked increase in abdominal depth, the maximum hip moment is significantly less than that in first trimester, while the maximum knee moment is significantly larger. Pregnant women in third trimester produced larger knee moment during sit-to-stand transition from lower chair height. The mechanism of sit-to-stand is affected by the physical changes of pregnant women at different periods of pregnancy, e.g. increased loading of knee joint and decreased hip joint moment, especially in the last trimester period of pregnancy.

  11. Influence of fear of falling on anticipatory postural control of medio-lateral stability during rapid leg flexion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yiou, E; Deroche, T; Do, M C; Woodman, T

    2011-04-01

    During leg flexion from erect posture, postural stability is organized in advance during "anticipatory postural adjustments" (APA). During these APA, inertial forces are generated that propel the centre of gravity (CoG) laterally towards stance leg side. This study examined how fear of falling (FoF) may influence this anticipatory postural control of medio-lateral (ML) stability. Ten young healthy participants performed a series of leg flexions at maximal velocity from low and high surface heights (6 and 66 cm above ground, respectively). In this latter condition with increased FoF, stance foot was placed at the lateral edge of the support surface to induce maximal postural threat. Results showed that the amplitude of ML inertial forces generated during APA decreased with FoF; this decrease was compensated by an increase in APA duration so that the CoG position at time of swing foot-off was located further towards stance leg side. With these changes in ML APA, the CoG was propelled in the same final (unipodal) position above stance foot as in condition with low FoF. These results contrast with those obtained in the literature during quiet standing which showed that FoF did not have any influence on the ML component of postural control. It is proposed that ML APA are modified with increased FoF, in such a way that the risk of a sideway fall induced by the large CoG motion is attenuated.

  12. External load application in gait and posture reeducation after diffuse axonal injury of the corpus callosum. A case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Magdalena Zawadka

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Traumatic brain injury caused car accidents is the one of the most common causes of diffuse axonal injury typically located at the grey-white matter junction, in the corpus callosum. A 58-year-old female patient Caucasian race was admitted to the Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Unit with head injury, broken right ulnar bone, numerous broken ribs and broken right iliac crest. Neurological examination resulted in right-sided hemiparesis. There were also coordination and balance disorders while sitting and standing. The patient was unable to walk. After physiotherapy treatment included external load application (ankle weights and rucksack with weights in gait and posture reeducation, patient has improved balance, locomotion and body posture. However, application of external loads during walk and posture reeducation needs to be further investigated with greater number of participants and control group.

  13. Postural instability detection: aging and the complexity of spatial-temporal distributional patterns for virtually contacting the stability boundary in human stance.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa C Kilby

    Full Text Available Falls among the older population can severely restrict their functional mobility and even cause death. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms and conditions that cause falls, for which it is important to develop a predictive model of falls. One critical quantity for postural instability detection and prediction is the instantaneous stability of quiet upright stance based on motion data. However, well-established measures in the field of motor control that quantify overall postural stability using center-of-pressure (COP or center-of-mass (COM fluctuations are inadequate predictors of instantaneous stability. For this reason, 2D COP/COM virtual-time-to-contact (VTC is investigated to detect the postural stability deficits of healthy older people compared to young adults. VTC predicts the temporal safety margin to the functional stability boundary ( =  limits of the region of feasible COP or COM displacement and, therefore, provides an index of the risk of losing postural stability. The spatial directions with increased instability were also determined using quantities of VTC that have not previously been considered. Further, Lempel-Ziv-Complexity (LZC, a measure suitable for on-line monitoring of stability/instability, was applied to explore the temporal structure or complexity of VTC and the predictability of future postural instability based on previous behavior. These features were examined as a function of age, vision and different load weighting on the legs. The primary findings showed that for old adults the stability boundary was contracted and VTC reduced. Furthermore, the complexity decreased with aging and the direction with highest postural instability also changed in aging compared to the young adults. The findings reveal the sensitivity of the time dependent properties of 2D VTC to the detection of postural instability in aging, availability of visual information and postural stance and potential applicability as a

  14. Effects of posture on FDTD calculations of specific absorption rate in a voxel model of the human body

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Findlay, R P; Dimbylow, P J [National Radiological Protection Board, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0RQ (United Kingdom)

    2005-08-21

    A change in the posture of the human body can significantly affect the way in which it absorbs radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation. To study this, an anatomically realistic model of the body has been modified to develop new voxel models in postures other than the standard standing position with arms to the side. These postures were sitting, arms stretched out horizontally to the side and vertically above the head. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations of the whole-body averaged specific energy absorption rate (SAR) have been performed from 10 MHz to 300 MHz at a resolution of 4 mm. Calculations show that the effect of a raised arm above the head posture was to increase the value of the whole-body averaged SAR at resonance by up to 35% when compared to the standard, arms by the side position. SAR values, both whole-body averaged and localized in the ankle, were used to derive the external electric field values required to produce the SAR basic restrictions of the ICNIRP guidelines. It was found that, in certain postures, external electric field reference levels alone would not provide a conservative estimate of localized SAR exposure and it would be necessary to invoke secondary reference levels on limb currents to provide compliance with restrictions.

  15. Effects of posture on FDTD calculations of specific absorption rate in a voxel model of the human body

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Findlay, R P; Dimbylow, P J

    2005-01-01

    A change in the posture of the human body can significantly affect the way in which it absorbs radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation. To study this, an anatomically realistic model of the body has been modified to develop new voxel models in postures other than the standard standing position with arms to the side. These postures were sitting, arms stretched out horizontally to the side and vertically above the head. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations of the whole-body averaged specific energy absorption rate (SAR) have been performed from 10 MHz to 300 MHz at a resolution of 4 mm. Calculations show that the effect of a raised arm above the head posture was to increase the value of the whole-body averaged SAR at resonance by up to 35% when compared to the standard, arms by the side position. SAR values, both whole-body averaged and localized in the ankle, were used to derive the external electric field values required to produce the SAR basic restrictions of the ICNIRP guidelines. It was found that, in certain postures, external electric field reference levels alone would not provide a conservative estimate of localized SAR exposure and it would be necessary to invoke secondary reference levels on limb currents to provide compliance with restrictions

  16. Effects of posture on FDTD calculations of specific absorption rate in a voxel model of the human body

    Science.gov (United States)

    Findlay, R. P.; Dimbylow, P. J.

    2005-08-01

    A change in the posture of the human body can significantly affect the way in which it absorbs radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation. To study this, an anatomically realistic model of the body has been modified to develop new voxel models in postures other than the standard standing position with arms to the side. These postures were sitting, arms stretched out horizontally to the side and vertically above the head. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations of the whole-body averaged specific energy absorption rate (SAR) have been performed from 10 MHz to 300 MHz at a resolution of 4 mm. Calculations show that the effect of a raised arm above the head posture was to increase the value of the whole-body averaged SAR at resonance by up to 35% when compared to the standard, arms by the side position. SAR values, both whole-body averaged and localized in the ankle, were used to derive the external electric field values required to produce the SAR basic restrictions of the ICNIRP guidelines. It was found that, in certain postures, external electric field reference levels alone would not provide a conservative estimate of localized SAR exposure and it would be necessary to invoke secondary reference levels on limb currents to provide compliance with restrictions.

  17. Guide to Good Posture

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... you are moving or still, can prevent pain, injuries, and other health problems. What is posture? Posture is how you hold your body. There are two types: Dynamic posture is how you hold yourself when you are moving, like when you are walking, running, or bending over to pick up something. Static ...

  18. Posture as index for approach-avoidance behavior.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anita Eerland

    Full Text Available Approach and avoidance are two behavioral responses that make people tend to approach positive and avoid negative situations. This study examines whether postural behavior is influenced by the affective state of pictures. While standing on the Wii™ Balance Board, participants viewed pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant pictures (passively viewing phase. Then they had to move their body to the left or the right (lateral movement phase to make the next picture appear. We recorded movements in the anterior-posterior direction to examine approach and avoidant behavior. During passively viewing, people approached pleasant pictures. They avoided unpleasant ones while they made a lateral movement. These findings provide support for the idea that we tend to approach positive and avoid negative situations.

  19. Does structural leg-length discrepancy affect postural control? Preliminary study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eliks, Małgorzata; Ostiak-Tomaszewska, Wioleta; Lisiński, Przemysław; Koczewski, Paweł

    2017-08-09

    Leg-length inequality results in an altered position of the spine and pelvis. Previous studies on the influence of leg asymmetry on postural control have been inconclusive. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the effect of structural leg-length discrepancy (LLD) on the control of posture. We studied 38 individuals (19 patients with structural LLD, 19 healthy subjects). The examination included measurement of the length of the lower limbs and weight distribution as well as a static posturography. All statistical analyses were performed with Statistica software version 10.0. Non-parametrical Kruskal-Wallis with Dunn's post test and Spearman test were used. Differences between the groups and correlation between mean COP sway velocity and the value of LLD as well as the value of LLD and weight distribution were assumed as statistically significant at p  0.05). Meaningful differences in mean COP velocity in mediolateral direction between tandem stance with eyes open and closed were detected in both groups (in controls p = 0.000134, in patients both with the shorter leg in a front and rear position, p = 0.029, p = 0.026 respectively). There was a positive moderate correlation between the value of LLD and the value of mean COP velocity in normal standing in mediolateral direction with eyes open (r = 0.47) and closed (r = 0.54) and in anterioposterior plane with eyes closed (r = 0.05). The fact that there were no significant differences in posturography between the groups might indicate compensations to the altered posture and neuromuscular adaptations in patients with structural leg-length inequality. LLD causes an increased asymmetry of weight distribution. This study confirmed a fundamental role of the sight in postural control, especially in unstable conditions. The analysis of mean COP sway velocity may suggest a proportional deterioration of postural control with the increase of the value of leg-length asymmetry. Trial registry: Clinical

  20. Effect of whole-body vibration on center-of-mass movement during standing in children and young adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Huaqing; Beerse, Matthew; Ke, Xiang; Wu, Jianhua

    2017-05-01

    Whole body vibration (WBV) can affect postural control and muscular activation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the center-of-mass (COM) movement of children and young adults before, during, immediately after, and 5min after 40-s WBV in quiet standing. Fourteen young adults (mean age 24.5 years) and fourteen children (mean age 8.1 years) participated in the study. A full-body 35-marker set was placed on the participants and used to calculate COM. Forty-second standing trials were collected before, during, immediately after, and 5min after WBV with an frequency of 28Hz and an amplitude of range, sway area and fractal dimension), frequency-domain measures (total power and median frequency), and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) scaling exponent in both anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) directions. Results show that during WBV both children and adults increased average velocity and median frequency, but decreased range and the DFA scaling exponent. Immediately after WBV both groups increased the range, but showed pre-vibration values for most of the COM variables. Comparing to adults, children displayed a higher COM velocity, range, fractal dimension, and total power, but a lower DFA scaling exponent at all phases. The results suggest that both children and adults can quickly adapt their postural control system to WBV and maintain balance during and after vibration. Children display some adult-like postural control during and after WBV; however, their postural development continues into adolescence. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. Predicting forested catchment evapotranspiration and streamflow from stand sapwood area and Aridity Index

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lane, Patrick

    2016-04-01

    hillslope scale using mappable attributes (AI, forest inventory data). Advances in forest inventory techniques, including LiDAR, mean stand attributes can increasingly be mapped over large areas. If combined with process measurements, these mapped attributes provide a powerful platform for simple but robust modelling at the sub-hillslope scale, including exploring hinge points of stand vulnerability to the drier, hotter climate predicted for SE Australia where energy limited systems may face water limitation.

  2. The effect of Kinesio Taping on postural control in subjects with non-specific chronic low back pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbasi, Soheila; Rojhani-Shirazi, Zahra; Shokri, Esmaeil; García-Muro San José, Francisco

    2018-04-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the possible alterations in postural control during upright standing in subjects with non-specific chronic low back pain and the effect of Kinesio taping on the postural control. Twenty subjects with non-specific chronic low back pain and twenty healthy subjects participated in this study. The center of pressure excursion was evaluated before the intervention for both groups, and immediately after intervention for the low back pain group. Independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney test and repeated measure ANOVA were used for the statistical analysis of the data. There were significant differences in the center of pressure excursion between the low back pain group versus the healthy group. The results of the ANOVA demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the mean COP displacement and velocity before Kinesio Taping, immediately after, and 24 h after in the low back pain group. There are poor postural control mechanisms in subjects with non-specific chronic low back pain. Kinesio taping seems to change postural control immediately and have lasting effects until the day after. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. CHARACTERISTICS OF BODY POSTURE IN THE SAGITTAL PLANE AND FITNESS OF FIRST-FORM PUPILS FROM RURAL AREAS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hanna Żukowska

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: to find correlations between characteristics of body posture in the sagittal plane and fitness and endurance of first-form children from rural areas. Material: an analysis of more than 30 sources of scientific and educational literature. Results: the study involved 209 children, including 102 girls and 107 boys. They were children who lived in the country since they were born. To assess particular characteristics of body posture, the children were studied by means of the measuring equipment using the projection Moiré system. Motor skills were estimated using selected EUROFIT physical fitness tests (sitting forward bend, standing broad jump, handgrip, sit-and-reach, bent arm hang and 10 x 5 m shuttle run. The level of physical endurance was evaluated with the Harvard Step Test modified by Montoye. Conclusions: the conducted research reveals statistically significant correlations between the characteristics of body posture in the sagittal plane and selected EUROFIT physical fitness tests and physical endurance of the children involved in the study.

  4. Differential effects of a visuospatial attention task on measures of postural control in young and older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, Jeffrey J; Keenan, Kevin G

    2018-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a visuospatial attention task on three measures of postural control in young and older adults. 20 young (19-36  years) and 20 older (67-91 years) adults performed a choice stepping response time (CSRT) task, a submaximal dorsiflexion force steadiness task, and quiet standing in 3 bilateral stances. All tasks were performed with and without a visuospatial (VS) attention task that involved visualizing a star moving within a 2 × 2 grid. CSRT increased with the addition of the VS task in both groups (p   .084). The findings suggest that visuospatial attention differentially affects postural control in young and older adults and the effect is task-specific. These findings suggest the need to include stepping and force control tasks to further determine what role visuospatial attention plays in postural control. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  5. The effect of cell phone use on postural balance and mobility in older compared to young adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laatar, Rabeb; Kachouri, Hiba; Borji, Rihab; Rebai, Haithem; Sahli, Sonia

    2017-05-01

    Cell phone use is considered as an essential part of everyday life saturating all age groups and demographics. This study aimed to explore the effect of various cell phone functions on postural control and mobility in the elderly. Twenty healthy older (mean age 72.5±2.9) and twenty young (26.3±2.8) adults participated in this study. Postural balance was assessed by measuring the center of pressure (CoP) displacement with (talking on a cell phone (CONVERSE), dialing a number (DIAL) and listening to music (MUSIC)) and without cell phone use. Mobility was assessed by the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT). Results showed that for both groups, the CoP parameters increased significantly during the CONVERSE (pcell phone use impairs similarly standing postural balance of elderly and young adults. Interestingly, in the elderly, all cell phone functions used altered mobility with the dialing function causing the largest mobility deterioration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Somatic features and body posture in children with scoliosis and scoliotic posture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacek Wilczyński

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between somatic features and body posture in children with scoliosis and scoliotic posture. The study included 28 girls aged 7-18 with scoliosis and scoliotic posture. The selection of the subjects was deliberate. Height measurements were conducted with an anthropometer and weight measurements were done with an electronic scale. Body posture tests were performed using Exhibeon 3D digital photogrammetry and digital radiographs. The significant Spearman correlations between postural variables for the sagittal plane and the somatic variables regarded: trunk inclination angle and BMI (R= 0,4553, p= p=0,015, Abs of the trunk inclination angle and BMI (R = 0.5522, p = 0.002, length of thoracic kyphosis and BMI (R=0,4147, p=0.028, lumbar lordosis and BMI (R=0,4509, p=0,016. The significant Spearman correlations between scoliotic posture variables and the somatic variables concerned: length of primary lordosis and body height (R =0,4923, p=0.008, the length of the primary lordosis and body mass (R = 0.3932, p = 0.038, the length of the primary lordosis and BMI (R=0,4923, p=0.008. Variation analysis regarding postural (Exhibeon and somatic variables showed significant correlations between the direction of the primary curvature and body mass (p=0,0432, body height and primary angle location (p=0,0290 and between the height of the body and the location of the secondary angle (p = 0,0278.

  7. Age-Related Changes in Dynamic Postural Control and Attentional Demands are Minimally Affected by Local Muscle Fatigue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Remaud, Anthony; Thuong-Cong, Cécile; Bilodeau, Martin

    2016-01-01

    Normal aging results in alterations in the visual, vestibular and somtaosensory systems, which in turn modify the control of balance. Muscle fatigue may exacerbate these age-related changes in sensory and motor functions, and also increase the attentional demands associated with dynamic postural control. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of aging on dynamic postural control and posture-related attentional demands before and after a plantar flexor fatigue protocol. Participants (young adults: n = 15; healthy seniors: n = 13) performed a dynamic postural task along the antero-posterior (AP) and the medio-lateral (ML) axes, with and without the addition of a simple reaction time (RT) task. The dynamic postural task consisted in following a moving circle on a computer screen with the representation of the center of pressure (COP). This protocol was repeated before and after a fatigue task where ankle plantar flexor muscles were targeted. The mean COP-target distance and the mean COP velocity were calculated for each trial. Cross-correlation analyses between the COP and target displacements were also performed. RTs were recorded during dual-task trials. Results showed that while young adults adopted an anticipatory control mode to move their COP as close as possible to the target center, seniors adopted a reactive control mode, lagging behind the target center. This resulted in longer COP-target distance and higher COP velocity in the latter group. Concurrently, RT increased more in seniors when switching from static stance to dynamic postural conditions, suggesting potential alterations in the central nervous system (CNS) functions. Finally, plantar flexor muscle fatigue and dual-tasking had only minor effects on dynamic postural control of both young adults and seniors. Future studies should investigate why the fatigue-induced changes in quiet standing postural control do not seem to transfer to dynamic balance tasks. PMID:26834626

  8. Static and dynamic posture control in postlingual cochlear implanted patients: effects of dual-tasking, visual and auditory inputs suppression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernard-Demanze, Laurence; Léonard, Jacques; Dumitrescu, Michel; Meller, Renaud; Magnan, Jacques; Lacour, Michel

    2013-01-01

    Posture control is based on central integration of multisensory inputs, and on internal representation of body orientation in space. This multisensory feedback regulates posture control and continuously updates the internal model of body's position which in turn forwards motor commands adapted to the environmental context and constraints. The peripheral localization of the vestibular system, close to the cochlea, makes vestibular damage possible following cochlear implant (CI) surgery. Impaired vestibular function in CI patients, if any, may have a strong impact on posture stability. The simple postural task of quiet standing is generally paired with cognitive activity in most day life conditions, leading therefore to competition for attentional resources in dual-tasking, and increased risk of fall particularly in patients with impaired vestibular function. This study was aimed at evaluating the effects of postlingual cochlear implantation on posture control in adult deaf patients. Possible impairment of vestibular function was assessed by comparing the postural performance of patients to that of age-matched healthy subjects during a simple postural task performed in static (stable platform) and dynamic (platform in translation) conditions, and during dual-tasking with a visual or auditory memory task. Postural tests were done in eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) conditions, with the CI activated (ON) or not (OFF). Results showed that the postural performance of the CI patients strongly differed from the controls, mainly in the EC condition. The CI patients showed significantly reduced limits of stability and increased postural instability in static conditions. In dynamic conditions, they spent considerably more energy to maintain equilibrium, and their head was stabilized neither in space nor on trunk: they behaved dynamically without vision like an inverted pendulum while the controls showed a whole body rigidification strategy. Hearing (prosthesis on) as well

  9. Leg and trunk muscle coordination and postural sway during increasingly difficult standing balance tasks in young and older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donath, Lars; Kurz, Eduard; Roth, Ralf; Zahner, Lukas; Faude, Oliver

    2016-09-01

    Ageing impairs body balance and increases older adults' fall risk. Balance training can improve intrinsic fall risk factors. However, age comparisons of muscle activity responses during balance tasks are lacking. This study investigated relative muscle activity, muscle coordination and postural sway during various recommended static balance training tasks. Muscle activity (%MVC), amplitude ratios (AR) and co-activity (CAI) were determined during standing tasks for 30s (1: double limb stance on a foam surface, eyes open; 2: double limb stance on firm ground, eyes closed; 3: double limb stance, feet in step position on a foam surface, eyes open; 4: double limb stance, feet in step position on firm ground, eyes closed; 5: single limb stance on firm ground, eyes open) in 20 healthy young adults (24±2 y) and 20 older adults (73±6 y). Surface electromyography (SEMG) was applied (SENIAM guidelines) to ankle (tibialis anterior, soleus, medial gastrocnemius, peroneus longus) and thigh (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, biceps femoris, semitendinosus) muscles (non-dominant leg). Electrodes over trunk (multifidus and internal oblique) muscles were applied bilaterally. Two- to six-fold higher levels of relative muscle activity were found in older adults for ankle (0.0002adults for the trunk (0.001older adults for the ankle (0.009Older adults had higher electrophysiological costs for all stance conditions. Muscle coordination showed inverse activity patterns at the ankle and trunk. Optimal balance and strength training programs should take into account age-specific alterations in muscle activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. How does practise of internal Chinese martial arts influence postural reaction control?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorgy, Olivier; Vercher, Jean-Louis; Coyle, Thelma

    2008-04-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Chinese martial arts practice on postural reaction control after perturbation. Participants standing in Romberg tandem posture were subjected to an unexpected lateral platform translation with the eyes open or closed at two translation amplitudes. The peak displacement of the centre of pressure and of the centre of mass, and the onset latency of muscular activity (tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, lumbodorsal muscular group, and rectus abdominis), were evaluated for martial arts practitioners and for sport and non-sport participants. Compared with the sport and non-sport participants, the martial arts group showed lower maximal centre of pressure and centre of mass peak displacements in both the lateral and anterior - posterior directions, but no difference was found in the onset of muscular responses. We conclude that martial arts practice influences postural reaction control during a fixed-support strategy in a tandem task. The martial arts group used the ankle joint more frequently than the sport and non-sport participants, especially in the eyes-closed conditions. Our results suggest that the better balance recovery in the martial arts group is a consequence of better control of biomechanical properties of the lower limbs (e.g. through muscular response by co-contraction), not a change in the neuromuscular temporal pattern.

  11. Dynamical Properties of Postural Control in Obese Community-Dwelling Older Adults †.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frames, Christopher W; Soangra, Rahul; Lockhart, Thurmon E; Lach, John; Ha, Dong Sam; Roberto, Karen A; Lieberman, Abraham

    2018-05-24

    Postural control is a key aspect in preventing falls. The aim of this study was to determine if obesity affected balance in community-dwelling older adults and serve as an indicator of fall risk. The participants were randomly assigned to receive a comprehensive geriatric assessment followed by a longitudinal assessment of their fall history. The standing postural balance was measured for 98 participants with a Body Mass Index (BMI) ranging from 18 to 63 kg/m², using a force plate and an inertial measurement unit affixed at the sternum. Participants' fall history was recorded over 2 years and participants with at least one fall in the prior year were classified as fallers. The results suggest that body weight/BMI is an additional risk factor for falling in elderly persons and may be an important marker for fall risk. The linear variables of postural analysis suggest that the obese fallers have significantly higher sway area and sway ranges, along with higher root mean square and standard deviation of time series. Additionally, it was found that obese fallers have lower complexity of anterior-posterior center of pressure time series. Future studies should examine more closely the combined effect of aging and obesity on dynamic balance.

  12. Posture-Motor and Posture-Ideomotor Dual-Tasking: A Putative Marker of Psychomotor Retardation and Depressive Rumination in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aftanas, Lyubomir I; Bazanova, Olga M; Novozhilova, Nataliya V

    2018-01-01

    linear regression analysis evidenced further that the dual-tasking energy cost (i.e., Δ E ) significantly predicted clinical scores of severity of MDD and depressive rumination. Conclusion: The findings allow to suggest that execution of concurrent actual or imaginary fine motor task with closed visual input deallocates attentional resources from compelling maladaptive depressive rumination thereby attenuating severity of absolute dual-tasking energy costs for balance maintenance in patients with MDD. Significance: Quantitative assessment of PMR through measures of the postural performance in dual-tasking may be useful to capture the negative impact of past depressive episodes, optimize the personalized treatment selection, and improve the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying MDD.

  13. Postural blood pressure electrocardiographic changes are associated with falls in older people.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saedon, Nor Izzati; Zainal-Abidin, Imran; Chee, Kok Han; Khor, Hui Min; Tan, Kit Mun; Kamaruzzaman, Shahrul K; Chin, Ai-Vyrn; Poi, Philip J H; Tan, Maw Pin

    2016-02-01

    To determine the magnitude of postural blood pressure change, differences in ECG between fallers and non-fallers were measured. Postural blood pressure change is associated with symptoms of dizziness, presyncope, and syncope. In this cross-sectional study were included participants from The Malaysian Falls Assessment and Intervention Trial: fallers, aged 65 years or older with two or more falls or one injurious fall in 12 months, from a teaching hospital; and non-fallers, aged 65 years and older found through word-of-mouth and advertising. Noninvasive beat-to-beat blood pressure was measured at 10 min supine rest and 3 min standing. The maximal drop in systolic and diastolic pressure was calculated from a 12-lead ECG interpreted by a cardiologist. Basic demographics, medical history, and symptoms of dizziness, presyncope, and syncope were recorded for all patients. We recruited 155 fallers and 112 non-fallers. Fallers had a significantly longer PR interval (179 ± 32 vs. 168 ± 27 ms, p = 0.013) and a longer corrected QT interval (449 ± 41 vs. 443 ± 39 msec, p = 0.008), and larger change in SBP (28 ± 14 vs. 19 ± 9 mmHg, p < 0.001) with posture change. SBP drop of ≥30mmHg associated with recurrent and injurious falls [odds ratio [95 % confidence interval] = 7.61 (3.18-18.21)]. The changes remained significant after adjustment for symptoms of dizziness, presyncope and syncope. Older individuals with recurrent and injurious falls have significantly longer PR and QT intervals and larger SBP reduction with posture change as compared to non-fallers, and these are not explained by the presence of dizziness, presyncope, or syncope. SBP cut-off of ≥30mmHg considered for postural measurements using continuous BP monitors, the significance of this value needs to be evaluated.

  14. Assessment of the influence of examination postures on postural stability by means of the DTP-3 diagnostic system [Hodnocení vlivu vyšetřovacích poloh na posturální stabilitu pomocí diagnostického systému DTP-3

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter D. C. Phiri

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: When examining spinal shape by means of radiographic methods, as well as non radiographic non invasive methods, standardisation of the examined person's posture is essential. OBJECTIVE: Standardizing examination posture serves to enable the mutual comparison of the results from examinations when performed using different methods. Furthermore, a suitable examination posture should reduce postural sway and thus increase the reliability of such an examination. METHODS: For the purpose of assessing the influence of fixation on reducing postural sway in a subject undergoing an examination, two examination postures with different degrees of fixation were proposed: posture D – a standing position with shoulders supported against a fixation frame and posture F – prone lying on a fixation bed. Those postures were compared with posture A – the free standing position. For the examination of spinal shape and postural stability, the DTP-3 microcomputer diagnostic system was used, which makes it possible to measure a three-dimensional position of points by applying a non invasive contact method. The examination consists of palpating and marking the skin projection of the left and right lateral parts of the acromion, bilateral posterior superior iliac spine, and the processus spinosi. The marked points are scanned by touching them with the position sensor stylus and transmitted into a computer, where they are displayed as output protocols in the form of tables and graphs. The experimental part included the measurement of 80 subjects (40 men and 40 women, aged 23.1 ± 2.5 years. Each subject was measured five times in each examination posture, and the average spinal curve was calculated, as well as the standard deviation, evaluating the postural sway of the examined subject. RESULTS: It results from the assessment of the effects of fixation on postural sway reduction, which increased fixation in examination postures A–D–F results to

  15. Postural stability is altered by the stimulation of pain but not warm receptors in humans

    OpenAIRE

    Corbeil Philippe; Blouin Jean-Sébastien; Teasdale Normand

    2003-01-01

    Abstract Background It is now recognized that large diameter myelinated afferents provide the primary source of lower limb proprioceptive information for maintaining an upright standing position. Small diameter afferents transmitting noxious stimuli, however, can also influence motor behaviors. Despite the possible influence of pain on motor behaviors, the effects of pain on the postural control system have not been well documented. Methods Two cutaneous heat stimulations (experiment 1: non-n...

  16. The Improvement of Dental Posture Using Personalized Biofeedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thanathornwong, Bhornsawan; Suebnukarn, Siriwan

    2015-01-01

    Dentists are subject to staying in static or awkward postures for long periods due to their highly concentrated work. This study describes a real-time personalized biofeedback system developed for dental posture training with the use of vibrotactile biofeedback. The real-time personalized biofeedback system was an integrated solution that comprised of two components: 1) a wearable device that contained an accelerometer sensor for measuring the tilt angle of the body (input) and provided real-time vibrotactile biofeedback (output); and 2) software for data capturing, processing, and personalized biofeedback generation. The implementation of real-time personalized vibrotactile feedback was computed using Hidden Markov Models (HMMs). For the test case, we calculated the probability and log-likelihood of the test movements under the Work related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD) and non-WMSD HMMs. The vibrotactile biofeedback was provided to the user via a wearable device for a WMSD-predicted case. In the system evaluation, a randomized crossover trial was conducted to compare dental posture measure using tilt angles of the upper back and muscle activities of those dental students that received vibrotactile biofeedback from the system with the control group against the dental students who received no feedback. The participants who received feedback from the system had a lower tilt angle at 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles of Backx and Backy, as well as muscular load, which were statistically different (pbiofeedback system for posture training in dental students is feasible and associated with quantitative improvements of the dental posture.

  17. Postural analysis in time and frequency domains in patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galli, Manuela; Rigoldi, Chiara; Celletti, Claudia; Mainardi, Luca; Tenore, Nunzio; Albertini, Giorgio; Camerota, Filippo

    2011-01-01

    The goal of this work is to analyze postural control in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) participants in time and frequency domain. This study considered a pathological group composed by 22 EDS participants performing a postural test consisting in maintaining standing position over a force platform for 30s in two conditions: open eyes (OE) and closed eyes (CE). In order to compare pathological group we acquired in the same conditions a control group composed by 20 healthy participants. The obtained center of pressure (COP) signal was analyzed in time and frequency domain using an AR model. Results revealed differences between pathological and control group: EDS participants pointed out difficulties in controlling COP displacements trying to keep it inside the BOS in AP direction and for this reason increased the use of ML mechanism in order to avoid the risk of fall. Also in CE conditions they demonstrated more difficulties in maintaining posture revealing the proprioceptive system is impaired, due to ligament laxity that characterized EDS participants. Frequency domain analysis showed no differences between the two groups, affirming that the changes in time domain reflected really the impairment to the postural control mechanism and not a different strategy assumed by EDS participants. These data could help in decision-making process to establish a correct rehabilitation approach, based on the reinforcing of muscle tone to supply the ligament laxity in order to prevent risks of falls and its consequences. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. 3D postural balance with regard to gravity line: an evaluation in the transversal plane on 93 patients and 23 asymptomatic volunteers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obeid, Ibrahim; Aurouer, Nicolas; Hauger, Olivier; Vital, Jean-Marc; Dubousset, Jean; Skalli, Wafa

    2009-01-01

    Relevance of posture assessment has been reported in case of spine disorders. This study explores the interest in quantifying posture using 3D reconstruction from biplanar X-rays in free standing position and a force plate. 93 patients consulting for spine disorders were divided (‘3D deformity’, ‘sagittal imbalance’ and ‘mild deformity’) and compared with 23 asymptomatic volunteers. Registration of the gravity line (GL) in reconstruction yielded transversal position of the center of acoustic meati (CAM) T1, T4, T9, L3, S1 and hip axis (HA) with regard to GL. Transversal position of CAM and L3 appeared as relevant parameters to discriminate patients from volunteers. Sagittal inclination of the axis linking the CAM to HA was correlated with position of the CAM to GL (r = 0.92 for patients). In conclusion, observing posture in 3D with regard to GL provides clinical relevant information. CAM-HA inclination may improve postural evaluation without force plate. PMID:20035359

  19. Adaptability and Prediction of Anticipatory Muscular Activity Parameters to Different Movements in the Sitting Position.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chikh, Soufien; Watelain, Eric; Faupin, Arnaud; Pinti, Antonio; Jarraya, Mohamed; Garnier, Cyril

    2016-08-01

    Voluntary movement often causes postural perturbation that requires an anticipatory postural adjustment to minimize perturbation and increase the efficiency and coordination during execution. This systematic review focuses specifically on the relationship between the parameters of anticipatory muscular activities and movement finality in sitting position among adults, to study the adaptability and predictability of anticipatory muscular activities parameters to different movements and conditions in sitting position in adults. A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Springer-Link, Engineering Village, and EbscoHost. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to retain the most rigorous and specific studies, yielding 76 articles, Seventeen articles were excluded at first reading, and after the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 23 were retained. In a sitting position, central nervous system activity precedes movement by diverse anticipatory muscular activities and shows the ability to adapt anticipatory muscular activity parameters to the movement direction, postural stability, or charge weight. In addition, these parameters could be adapted to the speed of execution, as found for the standing position. Parameters of anticipatory muscular activities (duration, order, and amplitude of muscle contractions constituting the anticipatory muscular activity) could be used as a predictive indicator of forthcoming movement. In addition, this systematic review may improve methodology in empirical studies and assistive technology for people with disabilities. © The Author(s) 2016.

  20. Unraveling the mechanisms underlying postural instability in Parkinson's disease using dynamic posturography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nonnekes, Jorik; de Kam, Digna; Geurts, Alexander C H; Weerdesteyn, Vivian; Bloem, Bastiaan R

    2013-12-01

    Postural instability, one of the cardinal symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), has devastating consequences for affected patients. Better strategies to prevent falls are needed, but this calls for an improved understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying postural instability. We must also improve our ability to timely identify patients at risk of falling. Dynamic posturography is a promising avenue to achieve these goals. The latest moveable platforms can deliver 'real-life' balance perturbations, permitting study of everyday fall circumstances. Dynamic posturography studies have shown that PD patients have fundamental problems in scaling their postural responses in accordance with the need of the actual balance task at hand. On-going studies evaluate the predictive ability of impaired posturography performance for daily life falls. We also review recent work aimed at exploring balance correcting steps in PD, and the presumed interaction between startle pathways and postural responses.

  1. Gender difference in mobile phone use and the impact of digital device exposure on neck posture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guan, Xiaofei; Fan, Guoxin; Chen, Zhengqi; Zeng, Ying; Zhang, Hailong; Hu, Annan; Gu, Guangfei; Wu, Xinbo; Gu, Xin; He, Shisheng

    2016-11-01

    This cross-sectional study aimed to identify gender differences in the cervical postures when young adults were using mobile phones, as well as the correlations between the postures and the digital devices use (computer and mobile phone). Questionnaires regarding the habits of computer and mobile phone use were administrated to 429 subjects aged from 17 to 33 years old (19.75 ± 2.58 years old). Subjects were instructed to stand habitually and use a mobile phone as in daily life; the sagittal head and cervical postures were measured by head flexion, neck flexion angle and gaze angle. Male participants had a significantly larger head flexion angle (96.41° ± 12.23° vs. 93.57° ± 12.62°, p  =  0.018) and neck flexion angle (51.92°  ±  9.55° vs. 47.09° ± 9.45°, p  mobile phones, as well as the potential correlations between these postures and digital device use. We found that males displayed larger head and neck flexion angles than females, which were associated with the amount of computer use.

  2. Acute Effects of Posture Shirts on Rounded-Shoulder and Forward-Head Posture in College Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manor, John; Hibberd, Elizabeth; Petschauer, Meredith; Myers, Joseph

    2016-12-01

    Rounded-shoulder and forward-head posture can be contributing factors to shoulder pain. Corrective techniques such as manual therapy and exercise have been shown to improve these altered postures, but there is little evidence that corrective garments such as posture shirts can alter posture. To determine the acute effects of corrective postureshirt use on rounded-shoulder and forward-head posture in asymptomatic college students. Repeated-measures intervention study with counterbalanced conditions. Research laboratory. 24 members of the general student body of a university, 18-25 y old, with a forward shoulder angle (FSA) >52° and no history of upper-extremity surgery, scoliosis, active shoulder pain, or shoulder pain in the previous 3 mo that restricted participation for 3 consecutive days. Photographic posture assessment under a control condition, under a sham or treatment condition (counterbalanced), under another control condition, and treatment or sham. FSA and forward head angle (FHA) calculated from a lateral photograph. FSA decreased relative to the control condition while participants wore the sham shirt (P = .029) but not the corrective posture shirt (P = 1.00). FHA was unchanged between groups (P = .371). Application of a corrective posture shirt did not acutely alter FSA or FHA, while application of a sham shirt may decrease FSA at rest.

  3. Measuring postural control during mini-squat posture in men with early knee osteoarthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrella, M; Gramani-Say, K; Serrão, P R M S; Lessi, G C; Barela, J A; Carvalho, R P; Mattiello, S M

    2017-04-01

    Studies have suggested a compromised postural control in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA) evidenced by larger and faster displacement of center of pressure (COP). However, quantification of postural control in the mini-squat posture performed by patients with early knee OA and its relation to muscle strength and self-reported symptoms have not been investigated. The main aim of this cross-sectional, observational, controlled study was to determine whether postural control in the mini-squat posture differs between individuals with early knee OA and a control group (CG) and verify the relation among knee extensor torque (KET) and self-reported physical function, stiffness and pain. Twenty four individuals with knee OA grades I and II (OAG) (mean age: 52.35±5.00) and twenty subjects without knee injuries (CG) (mean age: 51.40±8.07) participated in this study. Participants were assessed in postural control through a force plate (Bertec Mod. USA), which provided information about the anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) COP displacement during the mini-squat, in isometric, concentric and eccentric knee extensor torque (KET) (90°/s) through an isokinetic dynamometer (BiodexMulti-Joint System3, Biodex Medical Incorporation, New York, NY, USA), and in self-reported symptoms through the WOMAC questionnaire. The main outcomes measured were the AP and ML COP amplitude and velocity of displacement; isometric, concentric, and eccentric KET and self-reported physical function, stiffness and pain. No significant differences were found between groups for postural control (p>0.05). Significant lower eccentric KET (p=0.01) and higher scores for the WOMAC subscales of pain (p=postural instability and the need to include quadriceps muscle strengthening, especially by eccentric contractions. The relationship between the self-reported symptoms and a lower and slower COP displacement suggest that the postural control strategy during tasks with a semi-flexed knee

  4. What is the most effective posture to conduct vibration from the lower to the upper extremities during whole-body vibration exercise?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tsukahara Y

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Yuka Tsukahara, Jun Iwamoto, Kosui Iwashita, Takuma Shinjo, Koichiro Azuma, Hideo MatsumotoInstitute for Integrated Sports Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan Background: Whole-body vibration (WBV exercise is widely used for training and rehabilitation. However, the optimal posture for training both the upper and lower extremities simultaneously remains to be established. Objectives: The objective of this study was to search for an effective posture to conduct vibration from the lower to the upper extremities while performing WBV exercises without any adverse effects. Methods: Twelve healthy volunteers (age: 22–34 years were enrolled in the study. To measure the magnitude of vibration, four accelerometers were attached to the upper arm, back, thigh, and calf of each subject. Vibrations were produced using a WBV platform (Galileo 900 with an amplitude of 4 mm at two frequencies, 15 and 30 Hz. The following three postures were examined: posture A, standing posture with the knees flexed at 30°; posture B, crouching position with no direct contact between the knees and elbows; and posture C, crouching position with direct contact between the knees and elbows. The ratio of the magnitude of vibration at the thigh, back, and upper arm relative to that at the calf was used as an index of vibration conduction. Results: Posture B was associated with a greater magnitude of vibration to the calf than posture A at 15 Hz, and postures B and C were associated with greater magnitudes of vibration than posture A at 30 Hz. Posture C was associated with a vibration conduction to the upper arm that was 4.62 times and 8.26 times greater than that for posture A at 15 and 30 Hz, respectively. Conclusion: This study revealed that a crouching position on a WBV platform with direct contact between the knees and elbows was effective for conducting vibration from the lower to the upper extremities. Keywords: whole-body vibration exercise, upper

  5. Neural basis of postural focus effect on concurrent postural and motor tasks: phase-locked electroencephalogram responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Cheng-Ya; Zhao, Chen-Guang; Hwang, Ing-Shiou

    2014-11-01

    Dual-task performance is strongly affected by the direction of attentional focus. This study investigated neural control of a postural-suprapostural procedure when postural focus strategy varied. Twelve adults concurrently conducted force-matching and maintained stabilometer stance with visual feedback on ankle movement (visual internal focus, VIF) and on stabilometer movement (visual external focus, VEF). Force-matching error, dynamics of ankle and stabilometer movements, and event-related potentials (ERPs) were registered. Postural control with VEF caused superior force-matching performance, more complex ankle movement, and stronger kinematic coupling between the ankle and stabilometer movements than postural control with VIF. The postural focus strategy also altered ERP temporal-spatial patterns. Postural control with VEF resulted in later N1 with less negativity around the bilateral fronto-central and contralateral sensorimotor areas, earlier P2 deflection with more positivity around the bilateral fronto-central and ipsilateral temporal areas, and late movement-related potential commencing in the left frontal-central area, as compared with postural control with VIF. The time-frequency distribution of the ERP principal component revealed phase-locked neural oscillations in the delta (1-4Hz), theta (4-7Hz), and beta (13-35Hz) rhythms. The delta and theta rhythms were more pronounced prior to the timing of P2 positive deflection, and beta rebound was greater after the completion of force-matching in VEF condition than VIF condition. This study is the first to reveal the neural correlation of postural focusing effect on a postural-suprapostural task. Postural control with VEF takes advantage of efficient task-switching to facilitate autonomous postural response, in agreement with the "constrained-action" hypothesis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Effect of cognitive and motor tasks on postural stability in Parkinson's disease: a posturographic study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchese, Roberta; Bove, Marco; Abbruzzese, Giovanni

    2003-06-01

    To analyse the effect of concomitant cognitive or motor task performance on balance control in Parkinson's disease (PD), we performed a posturographic study in 24 PD patients and in 20 sex- and age-matched control subjects. Postural sway was measured with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) during quiet stance and during performance of calculation or motor sequence of thumb opposition to the other fingers. No difference of centre of foot pressure (COP) parameters was observed during quiet standing (either EO or EC) between patients and controls, but visual deprivation induced in both groups a worsening of postural stability. COP area was significantly increased in PD patients during dual task performance, whereas no difference of COP path and x-y axes was observed. The effects induced by the performance of cognitive or motor task were significantly more evident in PD patients with clinical evidence of postural instability (presence of prior falls in the history). This study demonstrates that dual task interference on postural control can be observed in PD patients during performance of cognitive as well as motor tasks. The balance deterioration during dual task performance was significantly enhanced in patients with history of prior falls. These findings have some implications for the strategies to be used in reducing the risk of fall in PD. Copyright 2003 Movement Disorder Society

  7. Changes in Standing and Walking Performance Under Dual-Task Conditions Across the Lifespan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruffieux, Jan; Keller, Martin; Lauber, Benedikt; Taube, Wolfgang

    2015-12-01

    Simultaneous performance of a postural and a concurrent task is rather unproblematic as long as the postural task is executed in an automatic way. However, in situations where postural control requires more central processing, cognitive resources may be exceeded by the addition of an attentionally demanding task. This may lead to interference between the two tasks, manifested in a decreased performance in one or both tasks (dual-task costs). Owing to changes in attentional demands of postural tasks as well as processing capacities across the lifespan, it might be assumed that dual-task costs are particularly pronounced in children and older adults probably leading to a U-shaped pattern for dual-task costs as a function of age. However, these changes in the ability of dual-tasking posture from childhood to old age have not yet been systematically reviewed. Therefore, Web of Science and PubMed databases were searched for studies comparing dual-task performance with one task being standing or walking in healthy groups of young adults and either children or older adults. Seventy-nine studies met inclusion criteria. For older adults, the expected increase in dual-task costs could be confirmed. In contrast, in children there was only feeble evidence for a trend towards enlarged dual-task costs. More good-quality studies comparing dual-task ability in children, young, and, ideally, also older adults within the same paradigm are needed to draw unambiguous conclusions about lifespan development of dual-task performance in postural tasks. There is evidence that, in older adults, dual-task performance can be improved by training. For the other age groups, these effects have yet to be investigated.

  8. Do voluntary strength, proprioception, range of motion, or postural sway predict occurrence of lateral ankle sprain?

    OpenAIRE

    de Noronha, M; Refshauge, K M; Herbert, R D; Kilbreath, S L

    2006-01-01

    Prevention of ankle sprain, the most common sporting injury, is only possible once risk factors have been identified. Voluntary strength, proprioception, postural sway, and range of motion are possible risk factors. A systematic review was carried out to investigate these possiblities. Eligible studies were those with longitudinal design investigating ankle sprain in subjects aged ⩾15 years. The studies had to have measured range of motion, voluntary strength, proprioception, or postural sway...

  9. Differences in axial segment reorientation during standing turns predict multiple falls in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Rachel L; Peters, Derek M; Robinson, Paul D; Sitch, Alice J; Watt, Thomas N; Hollands, Mark A

    2012-07-01

    The assessment of standing turning performance is proposed to predict fall risk in older adults. This study investigated differences in segmental coordination during a 360° standing turn task between older community-dwelling fallers and non-fallers. Thirty-five older adults age mean (SD) of 71 (5.4) years performed 360° standing turns. Head, trunk and pelvis position relative to the laboratory and each other were recorded using a Vicon motion analysis system. Fall incidence was monitored by monthly questionnaire over the following 12 months and used to identify non-faller, single faller and multiple faller groups. Multiple fallers were found to have significantly different values, when compared to non-fallers, for pelvis onset (p=0.002); mean angular separation in the transverse plane between the head and trunk (p=0.018); peak angular separation in the transverse plane between the trunk and pelvis (p=0.013); and mean angular separation between the trunk and pelvis (pfalls show a simplified turning pattern to assist in balance control. This may be a predictor for those at increased risk of falling. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Effects of voluntary and automatic control of center of pressure sway during quiet standing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ueta, Kozo; Okada, Yohei; Nakano, Hideki; Osumi, Michihiro; Morioka, Shu

    2015-01-01

    The authors investigated the effects of voluntary and automatic control on the spatial variables (envelope area, maximal amplitude, and root mean square [RMS]) of center of pressure (COP) displacement during quiet standing and identified differences in their postural control strategies (mean velocity [MV], mean power frequency [MPF], and power density). COP data were recorded under relaxed (experimental control), still (voluntary control), and dual (automatic control) conditions. RMS was significantly lower in the still and dual conditions than in the relaxed condition. MV, MPF, and power density were significantly higher in the still condition than in the dual condition. These results indicate that both voluntary and automatic control decrease the spatial variables of COP displacement; however, their postural control strategies are different.

  11. Does a crouched leg posture enhance running stability and robustness?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blum, Yvonne; Birn-Jeffery, Aleksandra; Daley, Monica A; Seyfarth, Andre

    2011-07-21

    Humans and birds both walk and run bipedally on compliant legs. However, differences in leg architecture may result in species-specific leg control strategies as indicated by the observed gait patterns. In this work, control strategies for stable running are derived based on a conceptual model and compared with experimental data on running humans and pheasants (Phasianus colchicus). From a model perspective, running with compliant legs can be represented by the planar spring mass model and stabilized by applying swing leg control. Here, linear adaptations of the three leg parameters, leg angle, leg length and leg stiffness during late swing phase are assumed. Experimentally observed kinematic control parameters (leg rotation and leg length change) of human and avian running are compared, and interpreted within the context of this model, with specific focus on stability and robustness characteristics. The results suggest differences in stability characteristics and applied control strategies of human and avian running, which may relate to differences in leg posture (straight leg posture in humans, and crouched leg posture in birds). It has been suggested that crouched leg postures may improve stability. However, as the system of control strategies is overdetermined, our model findings suggest that a crouched leg posture does not necessarily enhance running stability. The model also predicts different leg stiffness adaptation rates for human and avian running, and suggests that a crouched avian leg posture, which is capable of both leg shortening and lengthening, allows for stable running without adjusting leg stiffness. In contrast, in straight-legged human running, the preparation of the ground contact seems to be more critical, requiring leg stiffness adjustment to remain stable. Finally, analysis of a simple robustness measure, the normalized maximum drop, suggests that the crouched leg posture may provide greater robustness to changes in terrain height

  12. Effect of posterior tibial tendon dysfunction on unipedal standing balance test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulig, Kornelia; Lee, Szu-Ping; Reischl, Stephen F; Noceti-DeWit, Lisa

    2015-01-01

    Foot pain and diminished functional capacity are characteristics of tibialis posterior tendon dysfunction (TPTD). This study tested the hypotheses that women with TPTD would have impaired performance of a unipedal standing balance test (USBT) and that balance performance would be related to the number of single limb heel raises (SLHR). Thirty-nine middle-aged women, 19 with early stage TPTD (stage I and II), were instructed to perform 2 tasks; a USBT and repeated SLHR. Balance success was defined as a 10-second stance. For those who were successful, center of pressure (COP) data in anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) directions were recorded as a measure of postural sway. SLHR performance was divided into 3 bins (≤2; 3-9 and > 10 repetitions). The between-balance success on performing the SLHR test was analyzed using the Fisher's exact test (2 × 3). Independent t tests were used to compare between-group differences in postural sway. Relationship of postural sway to the number of heel raises was assessed using Spearman's rho. The success rate of the USBT was significantly lower in women with TPTD than the controls (47% vs 85%, P = .041). In addition, women with TPTD who completed the USBT exhibited increased AP COP displacement (14.0 ± 7.4 vs 8.4 ± 1.3 mm, P = .008), and a strong trend of increased ML COP displacement (8.3 ± 4.5 vs 6.1 ± 1.2 mm, P = .050). The success rate of USBT was correlated with the number of SLHR (P = .01). The AP and ML COP displacement were correlated with SLHR (r = -.538 and .495), respectively. Women with TPTD have difficulty in performing the USBT. Performance of the USBT and SLHR are highly correlated and predictive of each other. A unipedal balance test may be used as a proxy TPTD assessment tool to the heel raising test when pain prevents performance. Level III, case control study. © The Author(s) 2014.

  13. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Hypermobility Type: Impact of Somatosensory Orthoses on Postural Control (A Pilot Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emma G. Dupuy

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Elhers-Danlos syndrome (EDS is the clinical manifestation of connective tissue disorders, and comprises several clinical forms with no specific symptoms and selective medical examinations which result in a delay in diagnosis of about 10 years. The EDS hypermobility type (hEDS is characterized by generalized joint hypermobility, variable skin hyperextensibility and impaired proprioception. Since somatosensory processing and multisensory integration are crucial for both perception and action, we put forth the hypothesis that somatosensory deficits in hEDS patients may lead, among other clinical symptoms, to misperception of verticality and postural instability. Therefore, the purpose of this study was twofold: (i to assess the impact of somatosensory deficit on subjective visual vertical (SVV and postural stability; and (ii to quantify the effect of wearing somatosensory orthoses (i.e., compressive garments and insoles on postural stability. Six hEDS patients and six age- and gender-matched controls underwent a SVV (sitting, standing, lying on the right side evaluation and a postural control evaluation on a force platform (Synapsys, with or without visual information (eyes open (EO/eyes closed (EC. These two latter conditions performed either without orthoses, or with compression garments (CG, or insoles, or both. Results showed that patients did not exhibit a substantial perceived tilt of the visual vertical in the direction of the body tilt (Aubert effect as did the control subjects. Interestingly, such differential effects were only apparent when the rod was initially positioned to the left of the vertical axis (opposite the longitudinal body axis. In addition, patients showed greater postural instability (sway area than the controls. The removal of vision exacerbated this instability, especially in the mediolateral (ML direction. The wearing of orthoses improved postural stability, especially in the eyes-closed condition, with a particularly

  14. Dynamic multi-segmental postural control in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain compared to pain-free controls: A cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCaskey, Michael A; Wirth, Brigitte; Schuster-Amft, Corina; de Bruin, Eling D

    2018-01-01

    Reduced postural control is thought to contribute to the development and persistence of chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP). It is therefore frequently assessed in affected patients and commonly reported as the average amount of postural sway while standing upright under a variety of sensory conditions. These averaged linear outcomes, such as mean centre of pressure (CP) displacement or mean CP surface areas, may not reflect the true postural status. Adding nonlinear outcomes and multi-segmental kinematic analysis has been reported to better reflect the complexity of postural control and may detect subtler postural differences. In this cross-sectional study, a combination of linear and nonlinear postural parameters were assessed in patients with CNLBP (n = 24, 24-75 years, 9 females) and compared to symptom-free controls (CG, n = 34, 22-67 years, 11 females). Primary outcome was postural control measured by variance of joint configurations (uncontrolled manifold index, UI), confidence ellipse surface areas (CEA) and approximate entropy (ApEn) of CP dispersion during the response phase of a perturbed postural control task on a swaying platform. Secondary outcomes were segment excursions and clinical outcome correlates for pain and function. Non-parametric tests for group comparison with P-adjustment for multiple comparisons were conducted. Principal component analysis was applied to identify patterns of segmental contribution in both groups. CNLBP and CG performed similarly with respect to the primary outcomes. Comparison of joint kinematics revealed significant differences of hip (P postural differences in CNLBP patients with low to moderate pain status.

  15. Modification of male adult simulator posture of ICRP 110 reference; Modificacao da postura do simulador adulto masculino (AM) de referencia da ICRP 110

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Galeano, Diego C.; Souza, Divanizia N.; Santos, Willian S.; Carvalho Junior, Alberico B., E-mail: galeano88@gmail.com [Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS), Sao Cristovao, SE (Brazil). Dept. de Fisica

    2014-07-01

    Voxel simulators are usually constructed based on computed tomography and magnetic resonance, so the supine position (lying) is the most used. This may result in a overestimated or underestimated the radiation dose, depending on the exposure scenario adopted. Thus, the objective was to change the attitude of the male adult simulator reference ICRP 110, AM (Adult Male), to a sitting posture. For change of posture were possible, it was necessary increasing the number of slices that comprise AM simulator by reducing the height of the voxel of 8.0 mm to 2.0 mm, thus making each voxel approximately cubic. A subroutine was created in Visual Monte Carlo software (VMC) to rotate the thigh region of the simulator and position it between the region of the leg and trunk. The ScionImage software was used to rebuild and soften the contours of the knee and hip of the simulator in a sitting posture, and 3D visualization of the simulator was used VolView software. The AM simulator in the seated position has the same anatomical features of the simulator in the standing posture. Using the MCNPX code [ref] was carried out the conversion coefficients for calculating the AP irradiation geometry (anteroposterior) comparing the AM simulator standing and sitting in order to evaluate the difference scattering and absorption of radiation by the two simulators. The result shows a difference up to 100% in the fluency conversion coefficients in nearby organs located in the pelvic region and in organs with distribution in the whole body (such as skin, muscle, lymph nodes and skeletal)

  16. What is brain fog? An evaluation of the symptom in postural tachycardia syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Amanda J; Medow, Marvin S; Rowe, Peter C; Stewart, Julian M

    2013-12-01

    Adolescents with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) often experience ill-defined cognitive impairment referred to by patients as "brain fog." The objective of this study was to evaluate the symptom of brain fog as a means of gaining further insight into its etiology and potential palliative interventions. Eligible subjects who reported having been diagnosed with POTS were recruited from social media web sites. Subjects were asked to complete a 38-item questionnaire designed for this study, and the Wood mental fatigue inventory (WMFI). Responses were received from 138 subjects with POTS (88 % female), ranging in age from 14 to 29 years; 132 subjects reported brain fog. WMFI scores correlated with brain fog frequency and severity (P fog were "forgetful," "cloudy," and "difficulty focusing, thinking and communicating." The most frequently reported brain fog triggers were fatigue (91 %), lack of sleep (90 %), prolonged standing (87 %), dehydration (86 %), and feeling faint (85 %). Although aggravated by upright posture, brain fog was reported to persist after assuming a recumbent posture. The most frequently reported interventions for the treatment of brain fog were intravenous saline (77 %), stimulant medications (67 %), salt tablets (54 %), intra-muscular vitamin B-12 injections (48 %), and midodrine (45 %). Descriptors for "brain fog" are most consistent with it being a cognitive complaint. Factors other than upright posture may play a role in the persistence of this symptom. Subjects reported a number of therapeutic interventions for brain fog not typically used in the treatment of POTS that may warrant further investigation.

  17. Examination of postures and frequency of musculoskeletal disorders among manual workers in Calcutta, India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarkar, Krishnendu; Dev, Samrat; Das, Tamal; Chakrabarty, Sabarni; Gangopadhyay, Somnath

    2016-04-01

    Manual material handling (MMH) activities require workers to adopt various awkward postures leading to the development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). To investigate the postures adopted during heavy load handling and the frequency of MSDs among MMH workers in Calcutta, India. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 100 MMH workers. MSD frequency was assessed via the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire. The Ovako Working Posture Assessment System (OWAS) was used to analyze working posture. We used logistic regression to predict MSD risk factors. Ninety five percent of workers reported a MSD in at least one body part in the past 12 months. According to OWAS results, 83% of the analysed work postures require immediate corrective measures for worker safety. The most harmful posture was carrying a heavy load overhead. Carrying more than 120 kg increased the odds of low back and neck pain by 4.527 and 4.555, respectively. This sample had a high frequency of reported MSDs, likely attributed to physiologically strenuous occupational activities repeated on average of 30-40 times daily. Ergonomic interventions, such as the use of handcarts, and occupational training are urgently needed.

  18. Common postural defects among music students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanco-Piñeiro, Patricia; Díaz-Pereira, M Pino; Martínez, Aurora

    2015-07-01

    Postural quality during musical performance affects both musculoskeletal health and the quality of the performance. In this study we examined the posture of 100 students at a Higher Conservatory of Music in Spain. By analysing video tapes and photographs of the students while performing, a panel of experts extracted values of 11 variables reflecting aspects of overall postural quality or the postural quality of various parts of the body. The most common postural defects were identified, together with the situations in which they occur. It is concluded that most students incur in unphysiological postures during performance. It is hoped that use of the results of this study will help correct these errors. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Thermoregulatory postures limit antipredator responses in peafowl.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yorzinski, Jessica L; Lam, Jennifer; Schultz, Rachel; Davis, Melissa

    2018-01-05

    Many animals inhabit environments where they experience temperature fluctuations. One way in which animals can adjust to these temperature changes is through behavioral thermoregulation. However, we know little about the thermal benefits of postural changes and the costs they may incur. In this study, we examined the thermoregulatory role of two postures, the head-tuck and leg-tuck posture, in peafowl ( Pavo cristatus ) and evaluated whether the head-tuck posture imposes a predation cost. The heads and legs of peafowl are significantly warmer when the birds exhibit these postures, demonstrating that these postures serve an important thermoregulatory role. In addition, the birds are slower to respond to an approaching threat when they display the head-tuck posture, suggesting that a thermoregulatory posture can limit antipredator behavior. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  20. Thermoregulatory postures limit antipredator responses in peafowl

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jessica L. Yorzinski

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Many animals inhabit environments where they experience temperature fluctuations. One way in which animals can adjust to these temperature changes is through behavioral thermoregulation. However, we know little about the thermal benefits of postural changes and the costs they may incur. In this study, we examined the thermoregulatory role of two postures, the head-tuck and leg-tuck posture, in peafowl (Pavo cristatus and evaluated whether the head-tuck posture imposes a predation cost. The heads and legs of peafowl are significantly warmer when the birds exhibit these postures, demonstrating that these postures serve an important thermoregulatory role. In addition, the birds are slower to respond to an approaching threat when they display the head-tuck posture, suggesting that a thermoregulatory posture can limit antipredator behavior.

  1. The Effect of Visual Stimuli on Stability and Complexity of Postural Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haizhen Luo

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Visual input could benefit balance control or increase postural sway, and it is far from fully understanding the effect of visual stimuli on postural stability and its underlying mechanism. In this study, the effect of different visual inputs on stability and complexity of postural control was examined by analyzing the mean velocity (MV, SD, and fuzzy approximate entropy (fApEn of the center of pressure (COP signal during quiet upright standing. We designed five visual exposure conditions: eyes-closed, eyes-open (EO, and three virtual reality (VR scenes (VR1–VR3. The VR scenes were a limited field view of an optokinetic drum rotating around yaw (VR1, pitch (VR2, and roll (VR3 axes, respectively. Sixteen healthy subjects were involved in the experiment, and their COP trajectories were assessed from the force plate data. MV, SD, and fApEn of the COP in anterior–posterior (AP, medial–lateral (ML directions were calculated. Two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures was conducted to test the statistical significance. We found that all the three parameters obtained the lowest values in the EO condition, and highest in the VR3 condition. We also found that the active neuromuscular intervention, indicated by fApEn, in response to changing the visual exposure conditions were more adaptive in AP direction, and the stability, indicated by SD, in ML direction reflected the changes of visual scenes. MV was found to capture both instability and active neuromuscular control dynamics. It seemed that the three parameters provided compensatory information about the postural control in the immersive virtual environment.

  2. Changes in postural control in patients with Parkinson's disease: a posturographic study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doná, F; Aquino, C C; Gazzola, J M; Borges, V; Silva, S M C A; Ganança, F F; Caovilla, H H; Ferraz, H B

    2016-09-01

    Postural instability is one of the most disabling features in Parkinson's disease (PD), and often leads to falls that reduce mobility and functional capacity. The objectives of this study were to analyse the limit of stability (LOS) and influence of the manipulation of visual, somatosensorial and visual-vestibular information on postural control in patients with PD and healthy subjects. Cross-sectional. Movement Disorders Unit, university setting. Eighty-two subjects aged between 37 and 83 years: 41 with Parkinson's disease in the 'on' state and 41 healthy subjects with no neurological disorders. Both groups were matched in terms of sex and age. Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS)-motor score, modified Hoehn and Yahr staging, Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) and posturography with integrated virtual reality. The parameters analysed by posturography were LOS area, area of body centre of pressure excursion and balance functional reserve in the standing position in 10 conditions (open and closed eyes, unstable surface with eyes closed, saccadic and optokinetic stimuli, and visual-vestibular interaction). The mean UPDRS motor score and DGI score were 27 [standard deviation (SD) 14] and 21 (SD 3), respectively. Thirteen participants scored between 0 and 19 points, indicating major risk of falls. Posturographic assessment showed that patients with PD had significantly lower LOS area and balance functional reserve values, and greater body sway area in all posturographic conditions compared with healthy subjects. Patients with PD have reduced LOS area and greater postural sway compared with healthy subjects. The deterioration in postural control was significantly associated with major risk of falls. Copyright © 2015 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Effects of affective picture viewing on postural control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stins, John F; Beek, Peter J

    2007-10-04

    Emotion theory holds that unpleasant events prime withdrawal actions, whereas pleasant events prime approach actions. Recent studies have suggested that passive viewing of emotion eliciting images results in postural adjustments, which become manifest as changes in body center of pressure (COP) trajectories. From those studies it appears that posture is modulated most when viewing pictures with negative valence. The present experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that pictures with negative valence have a greater impact on postural control than neutral or positive ones. Thirty-four healthy subjects passively viewed a series of emotion eliciting images, while standing either in a bipedal or unipedal stance on a force plate. The images were adopted from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). We analysed mean and variability of the COP and the length of the associated sway path as a function of emotion. The mean position of the COP was unaffected by emotion, but unipedal stance resulted in overall greater body sway than bipedal stance. We found a modest effect of emotion on COP: viewing pictures of mutilation resulted in a smaller sway path, but only in unipedal stance. We obtained valence and arousal ratings of the images with an independent sample of viewers. These subjects rated the unpleasant images as significantly less pleasant than neutral images, and the pleasant images as significantly more pleasant than neutral images. However, the subjects rated the images as overall less pleasant and less arousing than viewers in a closely comparable American study, pointing to unknown differences in viewer characteristics. Overall, viewing emotion eliciting images had little effect on body sway. Our finding of a reduction in sway path length when viewing pictures of mutilation was indicative of a freezing strategy, i.e. fear bradycardia. The results are consistent with current knowledge about the neuroanatomical organization of the emotion system and

  4. Imaging Posture Veils Neural Signals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert T Thibault

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Whereas modern brain imaging often demands holding body positions incongruent with everyday life, posture governs both neural activity and cognitive performance. Humans commonly perform while upright; yet, many neuroimaging methodologies require participants to remain motionless and adhere to non-ecological comportments within a confined space. This inconsistency between ecological postures and imaging constraints undermines the transferability and generalizability of many a neuroimaging assay.Here we highlight the influence of posture on brain function and behavior. Specifically, we challenge the tacit assumption that brain processes and cognitive performance are comparable across a spectrum of positions. We provide an integrative synthesis regarding the increasingly prominent influence of imaging postures on autonomic function, mental capacity, sensory thresholds, and neural activity. Arguing that neuroimagers and cognitive scientists could benefit from considering the influence posture wields on both general functioning and brain activity, we examine existing imaging technologies and the potential of portable and versatile imaging devices (e.g., functional near infrared spectroscopy. Finally, we discuss ways that accounting for posture may help unveil the complex brain processes of everyday cognition.

  5. Long-Term Effects from Bacterial Meningitis in Childhood and Adolescence on Postural Control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petersen, Hannes; Patel, Mitesh; Ingason, Einar F.; Einarsson, Einar J.; Haraldsson, Ásgeir; Fransson, Per-Anders

    2014-01-01

    Bacterial meningitis in childhood is associated with cognitive deficiencies, sensorimotor impairments and motor dysfunction later in life. However, the long-term effects on postural control is largely unknown, e.g., whether meningitis subjects as adults fully can utilize visual information and adaptation to enhance stability. Thirty-six subjects (20 women, mean age 19.3 years) treated in childhood or adolescence for bacterial meningitis, and 25 controls (13 women, mean age 25.1 years) performed posturography with eyes open and closed under unperturbed and perturbed standing. The meningitis subjects were screened for subjective vertigo symptoms using a questionnaire, clinically tested with headshake and head thrust test, as well as their hearing was evaluated. Meningitis subjects were significantly more unstable than controls during unperturbed (p≤0.014) and perturbed standing, though while perturbed only with eyes open in anteroposterior direction (p = 0.034) whereas in lateral direction both with eyes open and closed (pMeningitis subjects had poorer adaption ability to balance perturbations especially with eyes open, and they frequently reported symptoms of unsteadiness (88% of the subjects) and dizziness (81%), which was found significantly correlated to objectively decreased stability. Out of the 36 subjects only 3 had unilateral hearing impairment. Hence, survivors of childhood bacterial meningitis may suffer long-term disorders affecting postural control, and would greatly benefit if these common late effects became generally known so treatments can be developed and applied. PMID:25405756

  6. Time course and dimensions of postural control changes following neuromuscular training in youth field hockey athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zech, Astrid; Klahn, Philipp; Hoeft, Jon; zu Eulenburg, Christine; Steib, Simon

    2014-02-01

    Injury prevention effects of neuromuscular training have been partly attributed to postural control adaptations. Uncertainty exists regarding the magnitude of these adaptations and on how they can be adequately monitored. The objective was to determine the time course of neuromuscular training effects on functional, dynamic and static balance measures. Thirty youth (14.9 ± 3 years) field hockey athletes were randomised to an intervention or control group. The intervention included a 20-min neuromuscular warm-up program performed twice weekly for 10 weeks. Balance assessments were performed at baseline, week three, week six and post-intervention. They included the star excursion balance test (SEBT), balance error scoring system (BESS), jump-landing time to stabilization (TTS) and center of pressure (COP) sway velocity during single-leg standing. No baseline differences were found between groups in demographic data and balance measures. Adherence was at 86%. All balance measures except the medial-lateral TTS improved significantly over time (p controls (31.8 ± 22.1%). There were no significant group by time interactions in the SEBT, TTS and COP sway velocity. Neuromuscular training was effective in improving postural control in youth team athletes. However, this effect was not reflected in all balance measures suggesting that the neuromuscular training did not influence all dimensions of postural control. Further studies are needed to confirm the potential of specific warm-up programs to improve postural control.

  7. Interference between postural control and spatial vs. non-spatial auditory reaction time tasks in older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuhrman, Susan I; Redfern, Mark S; Jennings, J Richard; Furman, Joseph M

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated whether spatial aspects of an information processing task influence dual-task interference. Two groups (Older/Young) of healthy adults participated in dual-task experiments. Two auditory information processing tasks included a frequency discrimination choice reaction time task (non-spatial task) and a lateralization choice reaction time task (spatial task). Postural tasks included combinations of standing with eyes open or eyes closed on either a fixed floor or a sway-referenced floor. Reaction times and postural sway via center of pressure were recorded. Baseline measures of reaction time and sway were subtracted from the corresponding dual-task results to calculate reaction time task costs and postural task costs. Reaction time task cost increased with eye closure (p = 0.01), sway-referenced flooring (p vision x age interaction indicated that older subjects had a significant vision X task interaction whereas young subjects did not. However, when analyzed by age group, the young group showed minimal differences in interference for the spatial and non-spatial tasks with eyes open, but showed increased interference on the spatial relative to non-spatial task with eyes closed. On the contrary, older subjects demonstrated increased interference on the spatial relative to the non-spatial task with eyes open, but not with eyes closed. These findings suggest that visual-spatial interference may occur in older subjects when vision is used to maintain posture.

  8. Postural Coordination during Socio-motor Improvisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gueugnon, Mathieu; Salesse, Robin N; Coste, Alexandre; Zhao, Zhong; Bardy, Benoît G; Marin, Ludovic

    2016-01-01

    Human interaction often relies on socio-motor improvisation. Creating unprepared movements during social interaction is not a random process but relies on rules of synchronization. These situations do not only involve people to be coordinated, but also require the adjustment of their posture in order to maintain balance and support movements. The present study investigated posture in such a context. More precisely, we first evaluated the impact of amplitude and complexity of arm movements on posture in solo situation. Then, we assessed the impact of interpersonal coordination on posture using the mirror game in which dyads performed improvised and synchronized movements (i.e., duo situation). Posture was measured through ankle-hip coordination in medio-lateral and antero-posterior directions (ML and AP respectively). Our results revealed the spontaneous emergence of in-phase pattern in ML direction and antiphase pattern in AP direction for solo and duo situations. These two patterns respectively refer to the simultaneous flexion/extension of the ankles and the hips in the same or opposite direction. It suggests different functional roles of postural coordination patterns in each direction, with in-phase supporting task performance in ML (dynamical stability) and antiphase supporting postural control in AP (mechanical stability). Although amplitude of movement did not influence posture, movement complexity disturbed postural stability in both directions. Conversely, interpersonal coordination promoted postural stability in ML but not in AP direction. These results are discussed in terms of the difference in coupling strength between ankle-hip coordination and interpersonal coordination.

  9. Postural coordination during socio-motor improvisation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mathieu Gueugnon

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Human interaction often relies on socio-motor improvisation. Creating unprepared movements during social interaction is not a random process but relies on rules of synchronization. These situations do not only involve people to be coordinated, but also require the adjustment of their posture in order to maintain balance and support movements. The present study investigated posture in such a context. More precisely, we first evaluated the impact of amplitude and complexity of arm movements on posture in solo situation. Then, we assessed the impact of interpersonal coordination on posture using the mirror game in which dyads performed improvised and synchronized movements (i.e., duo situation. Posture was measured through ankle-hip coordination in medio-lateral and antero-posterior directions (ML and AP respectively. Our results revealed the spontaneous emergence of in-phase pattern in ML direction and anti-phase pattern in AP direction for solo and duo situations. These two patterns respectively refer to the simultaneous flexion/extension of the ankles and the hips in the same or opposite direction. It suggests different functional roles of postural coordination patterns in each direction, with in-phase supporting task performance in ML (dynamical stability and antiphase supporting postural control in AP (mechanical stability. Although amplitude of movement did not influence posture, movement complexity disturbed postural stability in both directions. Conversely, interpersonal coordination promoted postural stability in ML but not in AP direction. These results are discussed in terms of the difference in coupling strength between ankle-hip coordination and interpersonal coordination.

  10. Postural tasks are associated with center of pressure spatial patterns of three-dimensional statokinesigrams in young and elderly healthy subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baracat, Patrícia Junqueira Ferraz; de Sá Ferreira, Arthur

    2013-12-01

    The present study investigated the association between postural tasks and center of pressure spatial patterns of three-dimensional statokinesigrams. Young (n=35; 27.0±7.7years) and elderly (n=38; 67.3±8.7years) healthy volunteers maintained an undisturbed standing position during postural tasks characterized by combined sensory (vision/no vision) and biomechanical challenges (feet apart/together). A method for the analysis of three-dimensional statokinesigrams based on nonparametric statistics and image-processing analysis was employed. Four patterns of spatial distribution were derived from ankle and hip strategies according to the quantity (single; double; multi) and location (anteroposterior; mediolateral) of high-density regions on three-dimensional statokinesigrams. Significant associations between postural task and spatial pattern were observed (young: gamma=0.548, p<.001; elderly: gamma=0.582, p<.001). Robustness analysis revealed small changes related to parameter choices for histogram processing. MANOVA revealed multivariate main effects for postural task [Wilks' Lambda=0.245, p<.001] and age [Wilks' Lambda=0.308, p<.001], with interaction [Wilks' Lambda=0.732, p<.001]. The quantity of high-density regions was positively correlated to stabilogram and statokinesigram variables (p<.05 or lower). In conclusion, postural tasks are associated with center of pressure spatial patterns and are similar in young and elderly healthy volunteers. Single-centered patterns reflected more stable postural conditions and were more frequent with complete visual input and a wide base of support. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Kinect Posture Reconstruction Based on a Local Mixture of Gaussian Process Models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zhiguang; Zhou, Liuyang; Leung, Howard; Shum, Hubert P H

    2016-11-01

    Depth sensor based 3D human motion estimation hardware such as Kinect has made interactive applications more popular recently. However, it is still challenging to accurately recognize postures from a single depth camera due to the inherently noisy data derived from depth images and self-occluding action performed by the user. In this paper, we propose a new real-time probabilistic framework to enhance the accuracy of live captured postures that belong to one of the action classes in the database. We adopt the Gaussian Process model as a prior to leverage the position data obtained from Kinect and marker-based motion capture system. We also incorporate a temporal consistency term into the optimization framework to constrain the velocity variations between successive frames. To ensure that the reconstructed posture resembles the accurate parts of the observed posture, we embed a set of joint reliability measurements into the optimization framework. A major drawback of Gaussian Process is its cubic learning complexity when dealing with a large database due to the inverse of a covariance matrix. To solve the problem, we propose a new method based on a local mixture of Gaussian Processes, in which Gaussian Processes are defined in local regions of the state space. Due to the significantly decreased sample size in each local Gaussian Process, the learning time is greatly reduced. At the same time, the prediction speed is enhanced as the weighted mean prediction for a given sample is determined by the nearby local models only. Our system also allows incrementally updating a specific local Gaussian Process in real time, which enhances the likelihood of adapting to run-time postures that are different from those in the database. Experimental results demonstrate that our system can generate high quality postures even under severe self-occlusion situations, which is beneficial for real-time applications such as motion-based gaming and sport training.

  12. A review of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Carew, Sheila

    2012-01-31

    A 21-year-old female reports an 18-month history of light-headedness on standing. This is often associated with palpitations and a feeling of intense anxiety. She has had two black-outs in the past 12 months. She is not taking any regular medications. Her supine blood pressure was 126\\/84 mmHg with a heart rate of 76 bpm, and her upright blood pressure was 122\\/80 mmHg with a heart rate of 114 bpm. A full system examination was otherwise normal. She had a 12-lead electrocardiogram performed which was unremarkable. She was referred for head-up tilt testing. She was symptomatic during the test and lost consciousness at 16 min. Figure 1 summarizes her blood pressure and heart rate response to tilting. A diagnosis of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome with overlapping vasovagal syncope was made.

  13. Examining the stability of dual-task posture and reaction time measures in older adults over five sessions: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jehu, Deborah A; Paquet, Nicole; Lajoie, Yves

    2016-12-01

    Improved performance may be inherent due to repeated exposure to a testing protocol. However, limited research has examined this phenomenon in postural control. The aim was to determine the influence of repeated administration of a dual-task testing protocol once per week for 5 weeks on postural sway and reaction time. Ten healthy older adults (67.0 ± 6.9 years) stood on a force plate for 30 s in feet apart and semi-tandem positions while completing simple reaction time (SRT) and choice reaction time (CRT) tasks. They were instructed to stand as still as possible while verbally responding as fast as possible to the stimuli. No significant differences in postural sway were shown over time (p > 0.05). A plateau in average CRT emerged as the time effect revealed longer CRT during session 1 compared to sessions 3-5 (p task context. Postural sway and SRT were stable over the 5 testing sessions, but variability of CRT continued to improve over time. These findings form a basis for future studies to examine performance-related improvements due to repeated exposure to a testing protocol in a dual-task setting.

  14. Postural strategies and sensory integration: no turning point between childhood and adolescence.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sophie Mallau

    Full Text Available In this study, we investigated the sensory integration to postural control in children and adolescents from 5 to 15 years of age. We adopted the working hypothesis that considerable body changes occurring during these periods may lead subjects to under-use the information provided by the proprioceptive pathway and over-use other sensory systems such as vision to control their orientation and stabilize their body. It was proposed to determine which maturational differences may exist between the sensory integration used by children and adolescents in order to test the hypothesis that adolescence may constitute a specific phase in the development of postural control. This hypothesis was tested by applying an original protocol of slow oscillations below the detection threshold of the vestibular canal system, which mainly serves to mediate proprioceptive information, to the platform on which the subjects were standing. We highlighted the process of acquiring an accurate sensory and anatomical reference frame for functional movement. We asked children and adolescents to maintain a vertical stance while slow sinusoidal oscillations in the frontal plane were applied to the support at 0.01 Hz (below the detection threshold of the semicircular canal system and at 0.06 Hz (above the detection threshold of the semicircular canal system with their eyes either open or closed. This developmental study provided evidence that there are mild differences in the quality of sensory integration relative to postural control in children and adolescents. The results reported here confirmed the predominance of vision and the gradual mastery of somatosensory integration in postural control during a large period of ontogenesis including childhood and adolescence. The youngest as well as the oldest subjects adopted similar qualitative damping and segmental stabilization strategies that gradually improved with age without reaching an adult's level. Lastly, sensory

  15. The contribution of postural balance analysis in older adult fallers: A narrative review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pizzigalli, L; Micheletti Cremasco, M; Mulasso, A; Rainoldi, A

    2016-04-01

    Falls are a serious health problem for older adults. Several studies have identified the decline of postural balance as one of the main risk factors for falls. Contrary to what may be believed, the capability of force platform measurements to predict falls remains uncertain. The focus of this narrative review is the identification of postural characteristics of older adults at risk of falling using both static and dynamic postural balance assessments. The literature analysis was conducted on Medline/PubMed. The search ended in May 2015. Centre of pressure (CoP) path length, CoP velocity and sway in medial lateral and anterior-posterior are the variables that distinguish older adult fallers from non-fallers. Recommendations to medical personnel on how to provide efficient balance training for older adults are offered, discussing the relevance and limitations of postural stability on static and dynamic board in falling risk prevention. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Posture Control—Human-Inspired Approaches for Humanoid Robot Benchmarking: Conceptualizing Tests, Protocols and Analyses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Mergner

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Posture control is indispensable for both humans and humanoid robots, which becomes especially evident when performing sensorimotor tasks such as moving on compliant terrain or interacting with the environment. Posture control is therefore targeted in recent proposals of robot benchmarking in order to advance their development. This Methods article suggests corresponding robot tests of standing balance, drawing inspirations from the human sensorimotor system and presenting examples from robot experiments. To account for a considerable technical and algorithmic diversity among robots, we focus in our tests on basic posture control mechanisms, which provide humans with an impressive postural versatility and robustness. Specifically, we focus on the mechanically challenging balancing of the whole body above the feet in the sagittal plane around the ankle joints in concert with the upper body balancing around the hip joints. The suggested tests target three key issues of human balancing, which appear equally relevant for humanoid bipeds: (1 four basic physical disturbances (support surface (SS tilt and translation, field and contact forces may affect the balancing in any given degree of freedom (DoF. Targeting these disturbances allows us to abstract from the manifold of possible behavioral tasks. (2 Posture control interacts in a conflict-free way with the control of voluntary movements for undisturbed movement execution, both with “reactive” balancing of external disturbances and “proactive” balancing of self-produced disturbances from the voluntary movements. Our proposals therefore target both types of disturbances and their superposition. (3 Relevant for both versatility and robustness of the control, linkages between the posture control mechanisms across DoFs provide their functional cooperation and coordination at will and on functional demands. The suggested tests therefore include ankle-hip coordination. Suggested benchmarking

  17. The dentist's operating posture - ergonomic aspects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pîrvu, C; Pătraşcu, I; Pîrvu, D; Ionescu, C

    2014-06-15

    The practice of dentistry involves laborious high finesse dental preparations, precision and control in executions that require a particular attention, concentration and patience of the dentist and finally the dentist's physical and mental resistance. The optimal therapeutic approach and the success of practice involve special working conditions for the dentist and his team in an ergonomic environment. The meaning of the posture in ergonomics is the manner in which different parts of the body are located and thus the reports are established between them in order to allow a special task execution. This article discusses the posture adopted by dentists when they work, beginning with the balanced posture and going to different variants of posture. The ideal posture of a dentist gives him, on the one hand the optimal working conditions (access, visibility and control in the mouth) and on the other hand, physical and psychological comfort throughout the execution of the clinical acts. Although the theme of dentist posture is treated with great care and often presented in the undergraduate courses and the continuing education courses on ergonomics in dentistry, many dentists do not know the subject well enough nor the theoretical issues and therefore nor the practical applicability. The risk and perspective of the musculoskeletal disorders related to unbalanced postures should determine the dentists take postural corrective actions and compensation measures in order to limit the negative effects of working in a bad posture.

  18. Standing body sway in women with and without morning sickness in pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Yawen; Chung, Hyun Chae; Hemingway, Lauren; Stoffregen, Thomas A

    2013-01-01

    Morning sickness typically is attributed to hormonal changes in pregnancy. We asked whether morning sickness is associated with changes in standing postural equilibrium, as occurs in research on visually induced motion sickness. Twenty-one pregnant women (mean age=30 years, mean height=163cm; mean weight=63kg) were tested during the first trimester. Laboratory-based balance measures were collected, along with perceived postural stability, the presence of morning sickness, and the severity of subjective symptoms. We varied the distance between the feet and the visual task performed during stance. Participants were classified as either experiencing (Sick, n=12) or not experiencing (Well, n=9) morning sickness. Perceived balance stability was lower for Sick than for Well women. The positional variability of sway was reduced for the Sick group, relative to the Well group. Positional variability decreased with wider stance width, and was reduced during performance of a more demanding visual task. Stance width and visual task also influenced the temporal dynamics of sway. Effects of stance width and visual task on postural sway were similar to effects in non-pregnant adults, suggesting that sensitive tuning of posture is maintained during the first trimester. The findings suggest that women with morning sickness may attempt to stabilize their bodies by reducing overall body sway. It may be useful to recommend that women adopt wider stance early in pregnancy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Relationship between Muscle Function, Muscle Typology and Postural Performance According to Different Postural Conditions in Young and Older Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paillard, Thierry

    2017-01-01

    Although motor output of the postural function clearly influences postural performance in young and older subjects, no relationship has been formally established between them. However, the relationship between lower-extremity muscle strength/power and postural performance is often pointed out, especially in older subjects. In fact, the influence of motor output may vary according to the postural condition considered (e.g., static, dynamic, challenging, disturbing). In static postural condition, there may be a relationship between lower-extremity muscle strength and postural performance when the value of muscle strength is below a certain threshold in older subjects. Above this threshold of muscle strength, this relationship may disappear. In dynamic postural condition, lower-extremity muscle power could facilitate compensatory postural actions, limiting induced body imbalance likely to generate falls in older subjects. In young subjects, there could be a relationship between very early rapid torque of the leg extensor muscles and postural performance. In the case of postural reaction to (external) perturbations, a high percentage of type II muscle fibers could be associated with the ability to react quickly to postural perturbations in young subjects, while it may enable a reduction in the risk of falls in older subjects. In practice, in older subjects, muscle strength and/or power training contributes to reducing the risk of falls, as well as slowing down the involution of muscle typology regarding type II muscle fibers.

  20. Human body modeling method to simulate the biodynamic characteristics of spine in vivo with different sitting postures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Rui-Chun; Guo, Li-Xin

    2017-11-01

    The aim of this study is to model the computational model of seated whole human body including skeleton, muscle, viscera, ligament, intervertebral disc, and skin to predict effect of the factors (sitting postures, muscle and skin, buttocks, viscera, arms, gravity, and boundary conditions) on the biodynamic characteristics of spine. Two finite element models of seated whole body and a large number of finite element models of different ligamentous motion segments were developed and validated. Static, modal, and transient dynamic analyses were performed. The predicted vertical resonant frequency of seated body model was in the range of vertical natural frequency of 4 to 7 Hz. Muscle, buttocks, viscera, and the boundary conditions of buttocks have influence on the vertical resonant frequency of spine. Muscle played a very important role in biodynamic response of spine. Compared with the vertical posture, the posture of lean forward or backward led to an increase in stress on anterior or lateral posterior of lumbar intervertebral discs. This indicated that keeping correct posture could reduce the injury of vibration on lumbar intervertebral disc under whole-body vibration. The driving posture not only reduced the load of spine but also increased the resonant frequency of spine. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  1. Postural risk assessment of mechanised firewood processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spinelli, Raffaele; Aminti, Giovanni; De Francesco, Fabio

    2017-03-01

    The study assessed the postural risk of mechanised firewood processing with eight machines, representing the main technology solutions available on the market. Assessment was conducted with the Ovako Working posture Analysis System (OWAS) on 1000 still frames randomly extracted from videotaped work samples. The postural risk associated with firewood processing was variable and associated with technology type. Simple, manually operated new machines incurred a higher postural risk compared with semi- or fully automatic machines. In contrast, new semi-automatic and automatic machines were generally free from postural risk. In all cases, attention should be paid to postural risk that may occur during blockage resolution. The study did not cover the postural risk of firewood processing sites as a whole. The study provided useful information for selecting firewood processing machinery and for improving firewood machinery design, as part of a more articulate strategy aimed at enhancing the safety of firewood processing work sites. Practitioner Summary: The postural risk associated with mechanised firewood processing (eg cutting and splitting) depends on the type of equipment. Postural risk is highest (OWAS Action Category 2) with new in-line machines, designed for operation by a single worker. Fully automatic machines present minimum postural risk, except during blockage resolution.

  2. The effects of odour and body posture on perceived duration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eliane eSchreuder

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available This study reports an examination of the internal clock model, according to which subjective time duration is influenced by attention and arousal state. In a time production task, we examine the hypothesis that an arousing odour and an upright body posture affect perceived duration.The experimental task was performed while participants were exposed to an odour and either sitting upright (arousing condition or lying down in a relaxing chair (relaxing condition. They were allocated to one of three experimental odour conditions: rosemary (arousing condition, peppermint (relaxing condition and no odour (control condition. The predicted effects of the odours were not borne out by the results. Self-reported arousal and pleasure states were measured before, during (after each body posture condition and post experimentally. Heart rate and skin conductance were measured before and during the experiment. As expected, odour had an effect on perceived duration. When participants were exposed to rosemary odour, they produced significantly shorter time intervals than in the no odour condition. This effect, however, could not be explained by increased arousal. There was no effect of body posture on perceived duration, even though body posture did induce arousal. The results do not support the proposed arousal mechanism of the internal clock model.

  3. The Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis & Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Satish R Raj

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS, characterized by orthostatic tachycardia in the absence of orthostatic hypotension, has been the focus of increasing clinical interest over the last 15 years 1. Patients with POTS complain of symptoms of tachycardia, exercise intolerance, lightheadedness, extreme fatigue, headache and mental clouding. Patients with POTS demonstrate a heart rate increase of ≥30 bpm with prolonged standing (5-30 minutes, often have high levels of upright plasma norepinephrine (reflecting sympathetic nervous system activation, and many patients have a low blood volume. POTS can be associated with a high degree of functional disability. Therapies aimed at correcting the hypovolemia and the autonomic imbalance may help relieve the severity of the symptoms. This review outlines the present understanding of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of POTS.

  4. Effect of expertise in shooting and Taekwondo on bipedal and unipedal postural control isolated or concurrent with a reaction-time task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Negahban, Hossein; Aryan, Najmolhoda; Mazaheri, Masood; Norasteh, Ali Asghar; Sanjari, Mohammad Ali

    2013-06-01

    It was hypothesized that training in 'static balance' or 'dynamic balance' sports has differential effects on postural control and its attention demands during quiet standing. In order to test this hypothesis, two groups of female athletes practicing shooting, as a 'static balance' sport, and Taekwondo, as a 'dynamic balance' sport, and a control group of non-physically active females voluntarily participated in this study. Postural control was assessed during bipedal and unipedal stance with and without performing a Go/No-go reaction time task. Visual and/or support surface conditions were manipulated in bipedal and unipedal stances in order to modify postural difficulty. Mixed model analysis of variance was used to determine the effects of dual tasking on postural and cognitive performance. Similar pattern of results were found in bipedal and unipedal stances, with Taekwondo practitioners displaying larger sway, shooters displaying lower sway and non-athletes displaying sway characteristics intermediate to Taekwondo and shooting athletes. Larger effect was found in bipedal stance. Single to dual-task comparison of postural control showed no significant effect of mental task on sway velocity in shooters, indicating less cognitive effort invested in balance control during bipedal stance. We suggest that expertise in shooting has a more pronounced effect on decreased sway in static balance conditions. Furthermore, shooters invest less attention in postures that are more specific to their training, i.e. bipedal stance. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Relationship between postural alignment in sitting by photogrammetry and seated postural control in post-stroke subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iyengar, Y R; Vijayakumar, K; Abraham, J M; Misri, Z K; Suresh, B V; Unnikrishnan, B

    2014-01-01

    This study was executed to find out correlation between postural alignment in sitting measured through photogrammetry and postural control in sitting following stroke. A cross-sectional study with convenient sampling consisting of 45 subjects with acute and sub-acute stroke. Postural alignment in sitting was measured through photogrammetry and relevant angles were obtained through software MB Ruler (version 5.0). Seated postural control was measured through Function in Sitting Test (FIST). Correlation was obtained using Spearman's Rank Correlation co-efficient in SPSS software (version 17.0). Moderate positive correlation (r = 0.385; p < 0.01) was found between angle of lordosis and angle between acromion, lateral epicondyle and point between radius and ulna. Strong negative correlation (r = -0.435; p < 0.01) was found between cranio-vertebral angle and kyphosis. FIST showed moderate positive correlation (r = 0.3446; p < 0.05) with cranio-vertebral angle and strong positive correlation (r = 0.4336; p < 0.01) with Brunnstrom's stage of recovery in upper extremity. Degree of forward head posture in sitting correlates directly with seated postural control and inversely with degree of kyphosis in sitting post-stroke. Postural control in sitting post-stroke is directly related with Brunnstrom's stage of recovery in affected upper extremity in sitting.

  6. Prediction of postural risk of fall initiation based on a two-variable description of body dynamics: position and velocity of center of mass.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Honarvar, Mohammad Hadi; Nakashima, Motomu

    2013-10-01

    This research addresses the question: what is the risk of fall initiation at a certain human posture? There are postures from which no one is able to keep their balance and a fall will surely initiate (risk=1), and others from which everyone may regain their stability (risk=0). In other postures, only a portion of people can control their stability. One may interpret risk to chance of a fall to be initiated, and based on the portion of fallers assign a risk value to a given human posture (postural risk). Human posture can be mapped to a point in a 2-dimensional space: the x-v plane, the axes of which are horizontal components of the position and velocity of the center of mass of the body. For every pair of (x, v), the outcome of the balance recovery problem defines whether a person with a given strength level is able to regain their stability when released from a posture corresponding to that point. Using strength distribution data, we estimated the portion of the population who will initiate a fall if starting at a certain posture. A fast calculation approach is also introduced to replace the time-consuming method of solving the recovery problem many times. Postural risk of fall initiation for situations expressed by (x, v) pairs for the entire x-v plane is calculated and shown in a color-map. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Vergence and Standing Balance in Subjects with Idiopathic Bilateral Loss of Vestibular Function.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zoï Kapoula

    Full Text Available There is a natural symbiosis between vergence and vestibular responses. Deficits in vergence can lead to vertigo, disequilibrium, and postural instability. This study examines both vergence eye movements in patients with idiopathic bilateral vestibular loss, and their standing balance in relation to vergence. Eleven patients participated in the study and 16 controls. Bilateral loss of vestibular function was objectified with many tests; only patients without significant response to caloric tests, to video head impulse tests and without vestibular evoked myogenic potentials were included in the study.A LED display with targets at 20, 40, and 100 cm along the median plane was used to elicit vergence eye movements, recorded with the IRIS device.Four conditions were run, each lasting 1 min: fixation of a LED at 40 cm (convergence of 9°, at 150 cm (convergence of 2.3°; this last condition was repeated with eyes closed. Comparison of the eyes closed-eyes open conditions at 150 cm allowed evaluation of the Romberg Quotient. In the forth condition, two LEDS, at 20 and at 100 cm, were light on, one after the other for 1 sec, causing the eyes to converge then diverge. Standing balance was recorded with an accelerometer placed at the back near the center of mass (McRoberts, Dynaport.Relative to controls, convergence eye movements in patients showed significantly lower accuracy, lower mean velocity, and saccade intrusions of significantly higher amplitude.The normalized 90% area of body sway was significantly higher for patients than for controls for all conditions. Yet, similarly to controls, postural stability was better while fixating at near (sustained convergence than at far, or while making active vergence movements. We argue that vestibular loss deteriorates convergence, but even deficient, convergence can be helpful for postural control.

  8. DESAIN STASIUN KERJA DAN POSTUR KERJA DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN ANALISIS BIOMEKANIK UNTUK MENGURANGI BEBAN STATIS DAN KELUHAN PADA OTOT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ratna Purwaningsih

    2017-03-01

    unsuitable to operator. In the laundry workers ironing clothes activity is monotonous and repetitive work which is lacking in appropriate facilities. Work posture by standing up, often bent and twist. Ironing operator do their activities for more than 8 hours. The research aims to redesign the work station in order to obtain a good working posture. The design of work stations using Jack software 8.2. Work station consisting of a table and chairs designed with anthropometric and consider the motion of operator. Work station design used Jack Software 8.2. Evaluation of work posture used biomechanic analysis covering analysis of SSP, LBA, RULA, and OWAS. The result of evaluation is a posture suggested that the worker should sit on a chair with a sturdy body, the head is parallel toward to the direction of the object, and workers are prevented from bending and twist position.

  9. On the functional integration between postural and supra-postural tasks on the basis of contextual cues and task constraint.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Lima, Andrea Cristina; de Azevedo Neto, Raymundo Machado; Teixeira, Luis Augusto

    2010-10-01

    In order to evaluate the effects of uncertainty about direction of mechanical perturbation and supra-postural task constraint on postural control, young adults had their upright stance perturbed while holding a tray in a horizontal position. Stance was perturbed by moving forward or backward a supporting platform, contrasting situations of certainty versus uncertainty of direction of displacement. Increased constraint on postural stability was imposed by a supra-postural task of equilibrating a cylinder on the tray. Performance was assessed through EMG of anterior leg muscles, angular displacement of the main joints involved in the postural reactions and displacement of the tray. Results showed that both certainty on the direction of perturbation and increased supra-postural task constraint led to decreased angular displacement of the knee and the hip. Furthermore, combination of certainty and high supra-postural task constraint produced shorter latency of muscular activation. Such postural responses were paralleled by decreased displacement of the tray. These results suggest a functional integration between the tasks, with central set priming reactive postural responses from contextual cues and increased stability demand. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Automated Assessment of Postural Stability (AAPS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-01

    performed a battery of standard clinical tests of dynamic posture, whereas the fourth subject performed the stereotyped postures (e.g. movements restricted...Processing & Control [2] Napoli A, Ward C, Glass S, Tucker C, Obeid I (2016) “Automated Assessment of Postural Stability System,” IEEE Engineering in

  11. Gait, posture and cognition in Parkinson's disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandra Ferreira Barbosa

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Gait disorders and postural instability are the leading causes of falls and disability in Parkinson's disease (PD. Cognition plays an important role in postural control and may interfere with gait and posture assessment and treatment. It is important to recognize gait, posture and balance dysfunctions by choosing proper assessment tools for PD. Patients at higher risk of falling must be referred for rehabilitation as early as possible, because antiparkinsonian drugs and surgery do not improve gait and posture in PD.

  12. Developing a framework for assessing muscle effort and postures during computer work in the field: The effect of computer activities on neck/shoulder muscle effort and postures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Garza, J.L.B.; Eijckelhof, B.H.W.; Johnson, P.W.; Raina, S.M.; Rynell, P.; Huysmans, M.A.; Dieën, J.H. van; Beek, A.J. van der; Blatter, B.M.; Dennerlein, J.T.

    2012-01-01

    The present study, a part of the PROOF (PRedicting Occupational biomechanics in OFfice workers) study, aimed to determine whether trapezius muscle effort was different across computer activities in a field study of computer workers, and also investigated whether head and shoulder postures were

  13. Developing a framework for assessing muscle effort and postures during computer work in the field: the effect of computer activities on neck/shoulder muscle effort and postures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bruno-Garza, J.L.; Eijckelhof, B.H.W.; Johnson, P.W.; Raina, S.M.; Rynell, P.; Huijsmans, M.A.; van Dieen, J.H.; van der Beek, A.J.; Blatter, B.M.; Dennerlein, J.T.

    2012-01-01

    The present study, a part of the PROOF (PRedicting Occupational biomechanics in OFfice workers) study, aimed to determine whether trapezius muscle effort was different across computer activities in a field study of computer workers, and also investigated whether head and shoulder postures were

  14. Anticipatory and Compensatory Postural Adjustments in Response to External Lateral Shoulder Perturbations in Subjects with Parkinson's Disease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre Kretzer E Castro de Azevedo

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate the anticipatory (APA and compensatory (CPA postural adjustments in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD during lateral instability of posture. Twenty-six subjects (13 individuals with PD and 13 healthy matched controls were exposed to predictable lateral postural perturbations. The electromyographic (EMG activity of the lateral muscles and the displacement of the center of pressure (COP were recorded during four time intervals that are typical for postural adjustments, i.e., immediately before (APA1, APA2 and after (CPA1 and CPA2 the postural disturbances. The magnitude of the activity of the lateral muscles in the group with PD was lower only during the CPA time intervals and not during the anticipatory adjustments (APAs. Despite this finding, subjects with PD exhibit smaller COP excursions before and after the disturbance, probably due to lack of flexibility and proprioceptive impairments. The results of this study suggest that postural instability in subjects with PD can be partially explained by decreased postural sway, before and after perturbations, and reduced muscular activity after body disturbances. Our findings can motivate new studies to investigate therapeutic interventions that optimize the use of postural adjustment strategies in subjects with PD.

  15. Postural Control in Children with Autism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohen-Raz, Reuven; And Others

    1992-01-01

    Postural control was evaluated in 91 autistic, 166 normal, and 18 mentally retarded children using a computerized posturographic procedure. In comparison to normal children, the autistic subjects were less likely to exhibit age-related changes in postural performance, and postures were more variable and less stable. (Author/JDD)

  16. Interaction between physiological and subjective states predicts the effect of a judging panel on the postures of cellists in performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Satoshi eEndo

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the effect of a panel of judges on the movements and postures of cellists in performance. 24 expert cellists played a short piece of music, to a metronome beat, in the presence and absence of the panel. Kinematic analyses showed that in the presence of the panel the temporal execution of left arm shifting movements became less variable and closer to the metronome beat. In contrast, the panel's presence had no reliable effect on their spatial accuracy. A detailed postural analysis indicated that left elbow angle during execution of a given high note was correlated with level of heart rate, though the nature of this correlation was systematically affected by the relevant participant's subjective state: if anxious, a higher heart rate correlated with a more flexed elbow, if not anxious then with a more extended elbow. Our results suggest a change in physiological state alone does not reliably predict a change in behaviour in performing cellists, which instead depends on the interaction between physiological state and subjective experience of anxiety. This highlights a need to distinguish performance anxiety from physiological arousal, to which end we advocate currency for the specific term performance arousal to describe heightened physiological activity in a performer.

  17. Femoral strength and posture in terrestrial birds and non-avian theropods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farke, Andrew A; Alicea, Justy

    2009-09-01

    Osteological and experimental evidence suggest a change in femoral posture between non-avian dinosaurs (in which the femur presumably was carried in a subvertical position) and birds (in which the femur is held nearly horizontal during most phases of terrestrial locomotion). In this study, we used a broad comparative sample to test the hypothesis that cross-sectional properties of the femur records evidence of this presumed change in posture. I(max) and I(min) (second moment of area, related to resistance to bending) and cross-sectional area (indicating resistance to compression) were measured from computed tomography scans of the femora of 30 species of flightless or primarily terrestrial birds, one probable non-dinosaur dinosauromorph, and at least four species of non-avian theropods. It was predicted that birds should have more eccentrically shaped femoral midshafts as measured by I(max)/II(min) (reflecting greater bending) and comparatively smaller cross-sectional areas than non-avians. Results show that no significant differences occur between non-avian dinosaurs and birds for any parameter, and the samples overlapped broadly in many cases. Thus, cross-sectional properties cannot be used to infer differences in femoral posture between the two groups. This surprising finding might be explained by the fact that femoral postures were not drastically different or that a gradation of postures occurred in each sample. It is also possible that bone loading during life was not closely correlated with cross-sectional morphology. We conclude that cross-sectional properties should be used with caution in determining the posture and behaviors of extinct animals, and only in conjunction with other morphological information. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  18. Postural instability in Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1A disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tozza, Stefano; Aceto, Maria Gabriella; Pisciotta, Chiara; Bruzzese, Dario; Iodice, Rosa; Santoro, Lucio; Manganelli, Fiore

    2016-09-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of somatosensory impairment, distal muscle weakness and foot deformities on the balance in 21 CMT1A patients using a baropodometric platform. Stabilometric analysis by measuring sway area and velocity of a centre of pressure (CoP) both at open and closed eyes were used to assess postural imbalance. Static analysis, by measuring the load and the plantar surface of forefoot, midfoot and hindfoot was used to define the footprint shape and to assess as a whole foot deformities. Stabilometric and static results were compared with those of a control group. In CMT1A patients, stabilometric findings were correlated with static parameters, Achilles' tendon retraction, distal muscle strength and CMT examination score (CMTES). CMT1A patients compared to controls had lower plantar surface and load on midfoot, and higher load on a forefoot. CMT1A patients had a greater postural instability, since they had a higher CoP velocity, both at open and closed eyes. Moreover, the CoP velocity correlated inversely with the strength of ankle dorsi-flexion muscles and directly with CMTES as whole and with the item "motor symptoms legs". Postural imbalance was not correlated with sensory impairment and foot deformities as expressed by static analysis and Achilles' tendon retraction. In this study we demonstrated an altered balance in CMT1A patients during upright standing. The imbalance in our CMT patients seems to be related to the weakness of ankle dorsi-flexor muscles rather than sensory impairment or foot deformities. These results could be due to a mildly affected CMT1A population, evaluated in an early stage of the disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Assessment of postural stability in overweight and obese middle-aged women

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    Zuzana Kováčiková

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Obesity and overweight are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation and are associated with balance disorders. Objective: To assess the postural stability in a natural stance in overweight and obese women based on center of pressure (CoP velocity in the anterior-posterior (AP and medial-lateral (ML directions. Methods: A total of 102 women categorized according to body mass index into normal weight, overweight and obese categories underwent a measurement of quiet standing with their eyes open (EO and with their eyes closed (EC. Postural stability was assessed with a force platform. The mean CoP velocity was evaluated in both directions. Results: In the AP direction under EO conditions, obese women swayed significantly faster than normal weight women (1.01 cm/s and 0.80 cm/s. In the ML direction, a higher CoP velocity was observed in normal weight women than in obese women (0.52 cm/s and 0.41 cm/s. Under EC conditions in the AP direction, obese women swayed significantly faster than normal weight women (1.29 cm/s and 0.97 cm/s. In the ML direction, a higher CoP velocity was observed in normal weight women than in obese women (0.65 cm/s and 0.48 cm/s. Conclusions: Results suggest a negative impact of obesity on postural stability in the AP direction. In the ML direction, obese women were more stable than normal weight women, probably due to enlargement of the support base in a natural stance.

  20. Modelling energy expenditure of a brick layer at various postures ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Energy utilisation at work in the labour-intensive building industry is of prime importance to contractors who match people to jobs. This paper provides an insight into modelling energy expenditure in a specific task, namely brick laying in various postures. It therefore takes previous “generic” biomechanical-energy prediction ...

  1. Changes of postural control and muscle activation pattern in response to external perturbations after neck flexor fatigue in young subjects with and without chronic neck pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Chih-Hsiu; Chien, Andy; Hsu, Wei-Li; Yen, Ling-Wei; Lin, Yang-Hua; Cheng, Hsin-Yi Kathy

    2015-03-01

    Previous studies have identified sensorimotor disturbances and greater fatigability of neck muscles in patients with neck pain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of neck pain and neck flexor fatigue on standing balance following postural perturbations. Twenty patients with chronic neck pain (CNP) (24.7±3.6 year-old) and 20 age-matched asymptomatic subjects (22.1±2.2 year-old) were recruited. Subjects stood barefoot on a force plate and experienced backward perturbations before and after neck flexor fatigue. Center of pressure, electromyography of cervical and lumbar muscles, and head/trunk accelerations were recorded. Two-way ANOVA (pain×fatigue) was used for statistical analysis. CNP group showed larger body sway during quiet standing but not during perturbed standing compared with asymptomatic adults. In both groups, neck flexor fatigue resulted in greater body sway during the quiet standing but smaller body sway during perturbed standing, increased neck muscle activations and decreased lumbar muscle activations, as well as increased time to maximal head acceleration. Disturbed balance control was observed in CNP patients during the quiet standing. However, a rigid strategy was used to minimize the postural sway and to protect the head against backward perturbations in both CNP and asymptomatic young adults after neck flexor fatigue. The results facilitate the understanding of how the subjects with chronic neck pain and with neck muscle fatigue deal with the challenging condition. Further studies are needed to verify if such phenomenon could be changed after the intervention of specific flexor muscle retraining and balance control exercises. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Mental Simulation of Painful Situations Has an Impact on Posture and Psychophysiological Parameters

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    Thierry Lelard

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Embodiment is made possible by the ability to imagine ourselves in a particular situation (mental simulation. Postural changes have been demonstrated in response to painful situations, but the effect of an implicit instruction has not been studied. The present study was designed to record differential responses according to whether or not subjects were instructed to imagine themselves in a painful or non-painful situation. Painful stimuli and instructions to mentally simulate the displayed situation were hypothesized to induce postural changes that could be demonstrated by changes in the center of pressure (COP trajectory compared to viewing the same stimuli with no instructions. We hypothesized that mental simulation of a painful situation would induce embodiment of the emotional situation as reflected by posterior displacement of the COP and physiological responses as compared to passive observation of the same visual scene. Thirty-one subjects participated in this study while standing quietly on a posturographic platform with presentation of visual stimuli depicting scenes defining three experimental conditions (painful, non-painful and neutral situations for 12 s. Physiological measurements [heart rate (HR and electrodermal activity] and postural responses (COP displacements were recorded in response to the stimuli with or without instructions to imagine themselves in the situation. Time-course analyses (1 s sliding window were conducted for several postural parameters, HR and electrodermal response. An interaction effect (instruction × stimuli × time demonstrated that mental simulation induced posterior displacement of the mean position of the COP at different times during presentation of visual stimuli (4 s; 9–12 s. An effect of instruction was reported for HR (HR was higher in the mental simulation condition, while a stimulation effect was reported only for HR (lower for painful stimuli than for non-painful stimuli. The results of

  3. Cognition and balance control: does processing of explicit contextual cues of impending perturbations modulate automatic postural responses?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coelho, Daniel Boari; Teixeira, Luis Augusto

    2017-08-01

    Processing of predictive contextual cues of an impending perturbation is thought to induce adaptive postural responses. Cueing in previous research has been provided through repeated perturbations with a constant foreperiod. This experimental strategy confounds explicit predictive cueing with adaptation and non-specific properties of temporal cueing. Two experiments were performed to assess those factors separately. To perturb upright balance, the base of support was suddenly displaced backwards in three amplitudes: 5, 10 and 15 cm. In Experiment 1, we tested the effect of cueing the amplitude of the impending postural perturbation by means of visual signals, and the effect of adaptation to repeated exposures by comparing block versus random sequences of perturbation. In Experiment 2, we evaluated separately the effects of cueing the characteristics of an impending balance perturbation and cueing the timing of perturbation onset. Results from Experiment 1 showed that the block sequence of perturbations led to increased stability of automatic postural responses, and modulation of magnitude and onset latency of muscular responses. Results from Experiment 2 showed that only the condition cueing timing of platform translation onset led to increased balance stability and modulation of onset latency of muscular responses. Conversely, cueing platform displacement amplitude failed to induce any effects on automatic postural responses in both experiments. Our findings support the interpretation of improved postural responses via optimized sensorimotor processes, at the same time that cast doubt on the notion that cognitive processing of explicit contextual cues advancing the magnitude of an impending perturbation can preset adaptive postural responses.

  4. Kinematics of the human mandible for different head postures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Visscher, C M; Huddleston Slater, J J; Lobbezoo, F; Naeije, M

    2000-04-01

    The influence of head posture on movement paths of the incisal point (IP) and of the mandibular condyles during free open-close movements was studied. Ten persons, without craniomandibular or cervical spine disorders, participated in the study. Open close mandibular movements were recorded with the head in five postures, viz., natural head posture, forward head posture, military posture, and lateroflexion to the right and to the left side, using the Oral Kinesiologic Analysis System (OKAS-3D). This study showed that in a military head posture, the opening movement path of the incisal point is shifted anteriorly relative to the path in a natural head posture. In a forward head posture, the movement path is shifted posteriorly whereas during lateroflexion, it deviates to the side the head has moved to. Moreover, the intra-articular distance in the temporomandibular joint during closing is smaller with the head in military posture and greater in forward head posture, as compared to the natural head posture. During lateroflexion, the intra-articular distance on the ipsilateral side is smaller. The influence of head posture upon the kinematics of the mandible is probably a manifestation of differences in mandibular loading in the different head postures.

  5. The Relationship Between Postural and Movement Stability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feldman, Anatol G

    2016-01-01

    Postural stabilization is provided by stretch reflexes, intermuscular reflexes, and intrinsic muscle properties. Taken together, these posture-stabilizing mechanisms resist deflections from the posture at which balance of muscle and external forces is maintained. Empirical findings suggest that for each muscle, these mechanisms become functional at a specific, spatial threshold-the muscle length or respective joint angle at which motor units begin to be recruited. Empirical data suggest that spinal and supraspinal centers can shift the spatial thresholds for a group of muscles that stabilized the initial posture. As a consequence, the same stabilizing mechanisms, instead of resisting motion from the initial posture, drive the body to another stable posture. In other words by shifting spatial thresholds, the nervous system converts movement resisting to movement-producing mechanisms. It is illustrated that, contrary to conventional view, this control strategy allows the system to transfer body balance to produce locomotion and other actions without loosing stability at any point of them. It also helps orient posture and movement with the direction of gravity. It is concluded that postural and movement stability is provided by a common mechanism.

  6. Additional Haptic Information Provided by Anchors Reduces Postural Sway in Young Adults Less Than Does Light Touch

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renato Moraes

    2018-06-01

    -together standing. Force-COP timing explains reduced postural sway with LT but not for the anchor; hence, exploratory and supra-postural components may be involved.

  7. Is there a relationship between pain intensity and postural sway in patients with non-specific low back pain?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruhe, Alexander; Fejer, René; Walker, Bruce

    2011-07-15

    Increased center of pressure excursions are well documented in patients suffering from non-specific low back pain, whereby the altered postural sway includes both higher mean sway velocities and larger sway area. No investigation has been conducted to evaluate a relationship between pain intensity and postural sway in adults (aged 50 or less) with non-specific low back pain. Seventy-seven patients with non-specific low back pain and a matching number of healthy controls were enrolled. Center of pressure parameters were measured by three static bipedal standing tasks of 90 sec duration with eyes closed in narrow stance on a firm surface. The perceived pain intensity was assessed by a numeric rating scale (NRS-11), an equal number of patients (n = 11) was enrolled per pain score. Generally, our results confirmed increased postural instability in pain sufferers compared to healthy controls. In addition, regression analysis revealed a significant and linear increase in postural sway with higher pain ratings for all included COP parameters. Statistically significant changes in mean sway velocity in antero-posterior and medio-lateral direction and sway area were reached with an incremental change in NRS scores of two to three points. COP mean velocity and sway area are closely related to self-reported pain scores. This relationship may be of clinical use as an objective monitoring tool for patients under treatment or rehabilitation.

  8. Predicted stand volume for Eucalyptus plantations by spatial analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latifah, Siti; Teodoro, RV; Myrna, GC; Nathaniel, CB; Leonardo, M. F.

    2018-03-01

    The main objective of the present study was to assess nonlinear models generated by integrating the stand volume growth rate to estimate the growth and yield of Eucalyptus. The primary data was done for point of interest (POI) of permanent sample plots (PSPs) and inventory sample plots, in Aek Nauli sector, Simalungun regency,North Sumatera Province,Indonesia. from December 2008- March 2009. Today,the demand for forestry information has continued to grow over recent years. Because many forest managers and decision makers face complex decisions, reliable information has become the necessity. In the assessment of natural resources including plantation forests have been widely used geospatial technology.The yield of Eucalyptus plantations represented by merchantable volume as dependent variable while factors affecting yield namely stands variables and the geographic variables as independent variables. The majority of the areas in the study site has stand volume class 0 - 50 m3/ha with 16.59 ha or 65.85 % of the total study site.

  9. The Relationship Between Foot and Pelvic Alignment While Standing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khamis Sam

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available A normal motion and segmental interrelationship has been determined as a significant factor in normal function. Yet, the relationship between distal segments and pelvic alignment needs further investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the interrelationship between distal and proximal lower extremity segments while standing and during induced feet hyperpronation. Changes in alignment of the pelvis and lower extremities were measured at a gait laboratory using the VICON 612 computerized motion analysis system. Thirty-five healthy volunteer subjects were recruited. Four randomized repeated-measure standing modes were used: standing directly on the floor and then on three wedges angled at 10°, 15° and 20° to induce bilateral hyperpronation for 20 seconds. A significant (p<0.05 bi-variate relationship was found between the anterior pelvic tilt and thigh internal rotation, in all four standing positions (.41≤r≤.46, in all p<0.014. A combined effect of rotational alignment between segments and the cumulative effect of foot hyperpronation on pelvic tilt revealed that only the shank significantly affected pelvic alignment, acting as a mediator between a foot and a thigh with the thigh having a crude significant effect on the pelvis. When internal rotation of the shank occurs, calcaneal eversion couples with thigh internal rotation and anterior pelvic tilt. It can be concluded that in response to induced hyperpronation, the shank is a pivotal segment in postural adjustment.

  10. Postural Stability of Patients with Schizophrenia during Challenging Sensory Conditions: Implication of Sensory Integration for Postural Control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teng, Ya-Ling; Chen, Chiung-Ling; Lou, Shu-Zon; Wang, Wei-Tsan; Wu, Jui-Yen; Ma, Hui-Ing; Chen, Vincent Chin-Hung

    2016-01-01

    Postural dysfunctions are prevalent in patients with schizophrenia and affect their daily life and ability to work. In addition, sensory functions and sensory integration that are crucial for postural control are also compromised. This study intended to examine how patients with schizophrenia coordinate multiple sensory systems to maintain postural stability in dynamic sensory conditions. Twenty-nine patients with schizophrenia and 32 control subjects were recruited. Postural stability of the participants was examined in six sensory conditions of different level of congruency of multiple sensory information, which was based on combinations of correct, removed, or conflicting sensory inputs from visual, somatosensory, and vestibular systems. The excursion of the center of pressure was measured by posturography. Equilibrium scores were derived to indicate the range of anterior-posterior (AP) postural sway, and sensory ratios were calculated to explore ability to use sensory information to maintain balance. The overall AP postural sway was significantly larger for patients with schizophrenia compared to the controls [patients (69.62±8.99); controls (76.53±7.47); t1,59 = -3.28, pmaintain balance compared to the controls.

  11. PREHAB vs. REHAB - presurgical treatment in vestibular schwannoma surgery enhances recovery of postural control better than postoperative rehabilitation: Retrospective case series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tjernström, Fredrik; Fransson, Per-Anders; Kahlon, Babar; Karlberg, Mikael; Lindberg, Sven; Siesjö, Peter; Magnusson, Måns

    2018-01-01

    To evaluate post-surgical postural stability when treating patients with remaining vestibular function with intratympanic gentamicin (PREHAB) prior to schwannoma surgery. 44 consecutive patients with some form remaining vestibular function scheduled for vestibular schwannoma surgery. 20 were medically deafferented with intratympanic gentamicin before surgery and 24 were not. Both groups were of the same age, had the same tumor size, same type of surgery, and same perioperative sensory rehabilitation (training exercises), and no surgical complications. Postural stability measured as energy expenditure while standing on a force platform during vibratory stimulation of the calf muscles, performed prior to surgery (or gentamicin treatment) and 6 months after surgery. Patients pretreated with gentamicin had significantly better postural stability at the time for follow-up (p postural challenge (p control their stability (p postural control system benefited from a better short-term (adaptation) and long-term (habituation) recovery, when experiencing a postural challenge or resolving a sensory conflict. The benefits could be attributed to; active and continuous motor learning as the vestibular function slowly attenuates; no concomitant central nervous dysfunction due to effects from neurosurgery, thus allowing time for a separate unimpeded recovery process with more limited challenges and objectives; and the initiation and certain progression of sensory reweighting processes allowed prior to surgery. In contrast, worse compensation could be due to; immobilization from nausea after surgery, harmful amount of stress and cognitive dysfunction from the combination of surgical and sensory trauma and an abrupt vestibular deafferentation and its consequences on sensory reweighting.

  12. A comparative study of the effect of soft and hard cervical collars on static postural

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minoo Khalkhali Zavieh

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available AbstractBackground and Aim: Using cervical collars is one of the treatment methods for releaving cervical pain. The effect of limb orthotics on proprioception and postural stability has been suggested. There is not sufficient studies about the effect of cervical collars on static and dynamic stability, and the effect of soft and hard collars have not been compared with one another. The objective of this study is investigating and comparing the immediate effect of soft and hard cervical collars on static postural stability in healthy young subjects. Methods & Materials: In standing position on firm surface with closed eyes, both soft and hard collars decreased the stability and there was not any significant difference among collars. In standing positions on soft surface with closed and opened eyes, using none of the soft and hard collars did not change the stability. This quasi experimental study through repeated measure method has been conducted on 65 healthy young male and female college students. Static stability was evaluated by modified Clinical Test for Sensory Interaction and Balance (CTSIB in conditions without collar and by soft and hard cervical collars and were compared between the conditions. Results: Conclusion: Our results suggest that in static conditions, without vision, both collars decrease the stability in healthy young subjects. So considering the evaluation of stability and prevention of balance disturbance during the collar prescription seems to be necessary.

  13. Do measures of reactive balance control predict falls in people with stroke returning to the community?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansfield, A; Wong, J S; McIlroy, W E; Biasin, L; Brunton, K; Bayley, M; Inness, E L

    2015-12-01

    To determine if reactive balance control measures predict falls after discharge from stroke rehabilitation. Prospective cohort study. Rehabilitation hospital and community. Independently ambulatory individuals with stroke who were discharged home after inpatient rehabilitation (n=95). Balance and gait measures were obtained from a clinical assessment at discharge from inpatient stroke rehabilitation. Measures of reactive balance control were obtained: (1) during quiet standing; (2) when walking; and (3) in response to large postural perturbations. Participants reported falls and activity levels up to 6 months post-discharge. Logistic and Poisson regressions were used to identify measures of reactive balance control that were related to falls post-discharge. Decreased paretic limb contribution to standing balance control [rate ratio 0.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.7 to 1.0; P=0.011], reduced between-limb synchronisation of quiet standing balance control (rate ratio 0.9, 95% CI 0.8 to 0.9; Pfall rates when controlling for age, stroke severity, functional balance and daily walking activity. Impaired reactive balance control in standing and walking predicted increased risk of falls post-discharge from stroke rehabilitation. Specifically, measures that revealed the capacity of both limbs to respond to instability were related to increased risk of falls. These results suggest that post-stroke rehabilitation strategies for falls prevention should train responses to instability, and focus on remediating dyscontrol in the more-affected limb. Copyright © 2015 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Estimation of crown biomass of Pinus pinaster stands and shrubland above-ground biomass using forest inventory data, remotely sensed imagery and spatial prediction models

    Science.gov (United States)

    H. Viana; J. Aranha; D. Lopes; Warren B. Cohen

    2012-01-01

    Spatially crown biomass of Pinus pinaster stands and shrubland above-ground biomass (AGB) estimation was carried-out in a region located in Centre-North Portugal, by means of different approaches including forest inventory data, remotely sensed imagery and spatial prediction models. Two cover types (pine stands and shrubland) were inventoried and...

  15. Education and the Prevention of Postural Defects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olchowska-Kotala Agnieszka

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. The aim of this study was to determine: whether and at what stage of education is proper body posture learned, the intention of young adults to participate in activities teaching proper posture, and the effects of factors related with the said intention. Methods. The study involved 430 university students aged 18-24 years. Anthropometric data was collected. Participants completed questionnaires assessing physical activity level (IPAQ and their intention to participate in extracurricular activities teaching proper posture while sitting or walking, proper running technique, corrective gymnastics, or weight loss exercises. A self-assessment of posture, physical fitness, attractiveness, and body satisfaction was also completed. Results. Lower back pain was experienced by 41% of the respondents. Most were taught proper posture-related habits in primary school, followed by secondary school, and then at university. Many students expressed their intention to participate in the extracurricular activities. None of the questionnaire variables were associated with the intention to learn proper walking posture or proper running technique. The intention to participate in classes teaching proper sitting posture was associated with lower back pain in women and low physical activity level in men. In women, a relationship was found between the intention to participate in weight loss exercises and body dissatisfaction, high BMI, and poor self-evaluations of posture and attractiveness. In men, this activity was associated with body dissatisfaction. Conclusions. There is a need for further education on the development of proper postural habits at the university level.

  16. Breakup and then makeup: a predictive model of how cilia self-regulate hardness for posture control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bandyopadhyay, Promode R; Hansen, Joshua C

    2013-01-01

    Functioning as sensors and propulsors, cilia are evolutionarily conserved organelles having a highly organized internal structure. How a paramecium's cilium produces off-propulsion-plane curvature during its return stroke for symmetry breaking and drag reduction is not known. We explain these cilium deformations by developing a torsional pendulum model of beat frequency dependence on viscosity and an olivo-cerebellar model of self-regulation of posture control. The phase dependence of cilia torsion is determined, and a bio-physical model of hardness control with predictive features is offered. Crossbridge links between the central microtubule pair harden the cilium during the power stroke; this stroke's end is a critical phase during which ATP molecules soften the crossbridge-microtubule attachment at the cilium inflection point where torsion is at its maximum. A precipitous reduction in hardness ensues, signaling the start of ATP hydrolysis that re-hardens the cilium. The cilium attractor basin could be used as reference for perturbation sensing.

  17. Gait, posture and cognition in Parkinson's disease

    OpenAIRE

    Barbosa, Alessandra Ferreira; Chen, Janini; Freitag, Fernanda; Valente, Debora; Souza, Carolina de Oliveira; Voos, Mariana Callil; Chien, Hsin Fen

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Gait disorders and postural instability are the leading causes of falls and disability in Parkinson's disease (PD). Cognition plays an important role in postural control and may interfere with gait and posture assessment and treatment. It is important to recognize gait, posture and balance dysfunctions by choosing proper assessment tools for PD. Patients at higher risk of falling must be referred for rehabilitation as early as possible, because antiparkinsonian drugs and surgery do n...

  18. Changes in Postural Control After a Ball-Kicking Balance Exercise in Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conceição, Josilene Souza; Schaefer de Araújo, Felipe Gustavo; Santos, Gilmar Moraes; Keighley, John

    2016-01-01

    Context:  Rehabilitation programs for patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI) generally involve balance-perturbation training (BPT). Anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) and compensatory postural adjustments (CPAs) are the primary strategies used to maintain equilibrium during body perturbations. Little is known, however, about how APAs and CPAs are modified to promote better postural control for individuals with CAI after BPT. Objective:  To investigate the effect of BPT that involves kicking a ball on postural-control strategies in individuals with CAI. Design:  Randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting:  Laboratory. Patients or Other Participants:  We randomly assigned 44 volunteers with CAI to either a training group (TG; 11 women, 11 men; age = 24 ± 4 years, height = 173.0 ± 9.8 cm, mass = 72.64 ± 11.98 kg) or control group (CG; 11 women, 11 men; age = 22 ± 3 years, height = 171.0 ± 9.7 cm, mass = 70.00 ± 11.03 kg). Intervention(s):  The TG performed a single 30-minute training session that involved kicking a ball while standing on 1 foot. The CG received no intervention. Main Outcome Measure(s):  The primary outcome was the sum of the integrated electromyographic activity (∑∫EMG) of the lower extremity muscles in the supporting limb that were calculated during typical intervals for APAs and CPAs. A secondary outcome was center-of-pressure displacement during similar intervals. Results:  In the TG after training, the ∑∫EMG decreased in both dorsal and ventral muscles during compensatory adjustment (ie, the time interval that followed lower limb movement). During this interval, muscle activity (∑∫EMG) was less in the TG than in the CG. Consequently, center-of-pressure displacement increased during the task after training. Conclusions:  A single session of ball-kicking BPT promoted changes in postural-control strategies in individuals with CAI. These results should stimulate new and more comprehensive studies to

  19. Development of a 3D immersive videogame to improve arm-postural coordination in patients with TBI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cassavaugh Nicholas D

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI disrupts the central and executive mechanisms of arm(s and postural (trunk and legs coordination. To address these issues, we developed a 3D immersive videogame-- Octopus. The game was developed using the basic principles of videogame design and previous experience of using videogames for rehabilitation of patients with acquired brain injuries. Unlike many other custom-designed virtual environments, Octopus included an actual gaming component with a system of multiple rewards, making the game challenging, competitive, motivating and fun. Effect of a short-term practice with the Octopus game on arm-postural coordination in patients with TBI was tested. Methods The game was developed using WorldViz Vizard software, integrated with the Qualysis system for motion analysis. Avatars of the participant's hands precisely reproducing the real-time kinematic patterns were synchronized with the simulated environment, presented in the first person 3D view on an 82-inch DLP screen. 13 individuals with mild-to-moderate manifestations of TBI participated in the study. While standing in front of the screen, the participants interacted with a computer-generated environment by popping bubbles blown by the Octopus. The bubbles followed a specific trajectory. Interception of the bubbles with the left or right hand avatar allowed flexible use of the postural segments for balance maintenance and arm transport. All participants practiced ten 90-s gaming trials during a single session, followed by a retention test. Arm-postural coordination was analysed using principal component analysis. Results As a result of the short-term practice, the participants improved in game performance, arm movement time, and precision. Improvements were achieved mostly by adapting efficient arm-postural coordination strategies. Of the 13 participants, 10 showed an immediate increase in arm forward reach and single-leg stance time. Conclusion

  20. Development of a 3D immersive videogame to improve arm-postural coordination in patients with TBI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ustinova, Ksenia I; Leonard, Wesley A; Cassavaugh, Nicholas D; Ingersoll, Christopher D

    2011-10-31

    Traumatic brain injury (TBI) disrupts the central and executive mechanisms of arm(s) and postural (trunk and legs) coordination. To address these issues, we developed a 3D immersive videogame--Octopus. The game was developed using the basic principles of videogame design and previous experience of using videogames for rehabilitation of patients with acquired brain injuries. Unlike many other custom-designed virtual environments, Octopus included an actual gaming component with a system of multiple rewards, making the game challenging, competitive, motivating and fun. Effect of a short-term practice with the Octopus game on arm-postural coordination in patients with TBI was tested. The game was developed using WorldViz Vizard software, integrated with the Qualysis system for motion analysis. Avatars of the participant's hands precisely reproducing the real-time kinematic patterns were synchronized with the simulated environment, presented in the first person 3D view on an 82-inch DLP screen. 13 individuals with mild-to-moderate manifestations of TBI participated in the study. While standing in front of the screen, the participants interacted with a computer-generated environment by popping bubbles blown by the Octopus. The bubbles followed a specific trajectory. Interception of the bubbles with the left or right hand avatar allowed flexible use of the postural segments for balance maintenance and arm transport. All participants practiced ten 90-s gaming trials during a single session, followed by a retention test. Arm-postural coordination was analysed using principal component analysis. As a result of the short-term practice, the participants improved in game performance, arm movement time, and precision. Improvements were achieved mostly by adapting efficient arm-postural coordination strategies. Of the 13 participants, 10 showed an immediate increase in arm forward reach and single-leg stance time. These results support the feasibility of using the custom-made 3D