scholarly journals Effects of age and surface instability on the control of the center of mass

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maud van den Bogaart ◽  
Sjoerd M. Bruijn ◽  
Joke Spildooren ◽  
Jaap H. van Dieën ◽  
Pieter Meyns
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
Frontal Plane ◽  
Head Orientation ◽  
Balance Performance ◽  
Counter Rotation ◽  
Balance Loss ◽  
Balance Board

AbstractDuring standing, posture can be controlled by accelerating the Center of Mass (CoM) through shifting the center of pressure (CoP) within the base of support by applying ankle moments (“CoP mechanism”), or through the “counter-rotation mechanism”, i.e., changing the angular momentum of segments around the CoM to change the direction of the ground reaction force. Postural control develops over the lifespan; at both the beginning and the end of the lifespan adequate postural control appears more challenging. In this study, we aimed to assess mediolateral balance performance and the related use of the postural control mechanisms in children, older adults and young adults when standing on different (unstable) surfaces. Sixteen pre-pubertal children (6-9y), 17 young adults (18-24y) and eight older adults (65-80y) performed bipedal upright standing trials of 16 seconds on a rigid surface and on three balance boards that could freely move in the frontal plane, varying in height (15-19 cm) of the surface of the board above the point of contact with the floor. Full body kinematics (16 segments, 48 markers, using SIMI 3D-motion analysis system (GmbH) and DeepLabCut and Anipose) were retrieved. Performance related outcome measures, i.e., the number of trials with balance loss and the Root Mean Square (RMS) of the time series of the CoM acceleration, the contributions of the CoP mechanism and the counter-rotation mechanism to the CoM acceleration in the frontal plane and selected kinematic measures, i.e. the orientation of the board and the head and the Mean Power Frequency (MPF) of the balance board orientation and the CoM acceleration were determined. Balance loss only occurred when standing on the highest balance board, twice in one older adult once in one young adult. In children and older adults, the RMS of the CoM accelerations were larger, corresponding to poorer balance performance. Across age groups and conditions, the contribution of the CoP mechanism to the total CoM acceleration was much larger than that of the counter-rotation mechanisms, ranging from 94%-113% vs 23%-38% (with totals higher than 100% indicating opposite effects of both mechanisms). Deviations in head orientation were small compared to deviations in balance board orientation. We hypothesize that the CoP mechanism is dominant, since the counter-rotation mechanism would conflict with stabilizing the orientation of the head in space.

Kinematic Analysis of Dance-Based Exergaming: A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernest K. Ofori ◽  
Savitha Subramaniam ◽  
Shuaijie Wang ◽  
Tanvi Bhatt
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Aging Populations ◽  
Cortical Pathology

Background: Recent studies demonstrate improvements in both postural stability and mobility among aging populations and those with stroke who are exposed to dance-based exergaming (DBExG). However, age-related deficits and aging with cortical pathology may lead to distinct movement adaptation patterns during DBExG, which could impact therapeutic outcomes.Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the movement kinematics (postural stability and mobility) of healthy older adults, older adults with stroke, and young adults for different paces of dance during DBExG. Method: The study included 33 particpants (11 participant from each group of healthy older adults, older adults with chronic stroke, and healthy young adults) who performed the DBExG using slow- (SP), medium- (MP), and fast-paced (FP) songs with movements in the anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) directions. Center of mass (CoM) sway area, excursion (Ex), and peaks as well as hip, knee, and ankle joint excursions were computed. Results: Results of the study revealed that CoM sway areas and Exs were greater for healthy young adults than for older adults with stroke for the SP dance (p < 0.05) and that there were significantly more AP CoM peaks for young adults than for healthy older adults and those with stroke for the FP dance (p < 0.05). Young adults also exhibited greater hip and ankle Exs than older adults with stroke (p < 0.05) for all song paces. Similarly, knee and ankle Exs were greater for healthy older adults than for older adults with stroke for all song paces (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The quantitative evaluation and comparison of the movement patterns presented for the three groups could provide a foundation for both assessing and designing therapeutic DBExG protocols for these populations.

scholarly journals The relation between kinematic synergy to stabilize the center of mass during walking and future fall risks: a 1-year longitudinal study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Momoko Yamagata ◽  
Hiroshige Tateuchi ◽  
Itsuroh Shimizu ◽  
Junya Saeki ◽  
Noriaki Ichihashi
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Vertical Direction ◽  
Frontal Plane ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Uncontrolled Manifold ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Baseline Visit ◽  
Segmental Coordination

Abstract Background Incorrect body weight shifting is a frequent cause of falls, and the control of the whole-body center of mass (CoM) by segmental coordination is essential during walking. Uncontrolled manifold (UCM) analysis is a method of examining the relation between variance in segmental coordination and CoM stability. However, no prospective cohort study has thoroughly investigated how variance in segmental configurations to stabilize the CoM relates to future falls. This study explored whether variance to stabilize the CoM was related to future falls. Methods At the baseline visit, 30 community-dwelling older adults walked 20 times on a 6-m walkway. Using kinematic data collected during walking by a three-dimensional motion capture system, UCM analysis was performed to investigate how segmental configuration contributes to CoM stability in the frontal plane. One year after the baseline visit, we evaluated whether the subjects experienced falls. Twelve subjects had experienced falls, and 16 had not. Comparisons of variance between older adults with and without falls were conducted by covariate analysis. Results No significant differences in variance were found in the mediolateral direction, whereas in the vertical direction, older adults with fall experiences had a greater variance, reflecting an unstable CoM, than those with no fall experiences. Conclusions We verified that the high variance in segmental configurations that destabilize the CoM in the vertical direction was related to future falls. The variables of UCM analysis can be useful for evaluating fall risk.

Balance performance when responding to visual stimuli in patients with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 267-274
Author(s):  
Sang-I Lin ◽  
Yi-Ju Tsai ◽  
Pei-Yun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo ◽  
Balance Control ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Balance Performance ◽  
Positional Vertigo ◽  
Vestibular Information ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

BACKGROUND: Patients with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) often report a sensation of disequilibrium before treatment with the canalith repositioning maneuvers. Apart from vestibular information, visual input also contributes to balance control. How visual stimuli influence balance control in BPPV patients is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of visual stimuli on balance performance in BPPV patients. METHODS: Three groups of participants, patients with BPPV, and healthy young and older adults, were instructed to stand under three conditions: 1) eyes open (EO); 2) while watching a static picture via a video display; and 3) while watching a rotating visual scene. Antero-posterior (AP), lateral (ML), and total sway path during standing were analyzed. RESULTS: In all conditions, patients with BPPV showed significantly larger AP, ML and total sway path than young, whereas older adults only showed significantly larger AP and total sway path than young adults. During the visual stimuli, all participants exhibited significantly increased AP and total sway while watching a static image and a moving scene as compared with the EO condition. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with BPPV have similar balance control to older adults, but poorer balance control than young adults. The reduced lack of standing balance control in the coronal plane of patients with BPPV, might affect balance strategy after external perturbations.

scholarly journals Head orientation and gait stability in young adults, dancers and older adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 68-73
Author(s):  
Rina M. Magnani ◽  
Sjoerd M. Bruijn ◽  
Jaap H. van Dieën ◽  
Marcus F. Vieira
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Head Orientation ◽  
Gait Stability

scholarly journals Balance training improves feedback control of perturbed balance in older adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Alizadehsaravi ◽  
Sjoerd M. Bruijn ◽  
Jaap H. van Dieen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Feedback Control ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
Balance Training ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
The Body ◽  
Balance Performance ◽  
Short Term

Recovering balance after perturbations becomes challenging with aging, but an effective balance training could reduce such challenges. In this study, we examined the effect of balance training on feedback control after unpredictable perturbations by investigating balance performance, recovery strategy, and muscle synergies. We assessed the effect of balance training on unipedal perturbed balance in twenty older adults (>65 years) after short-term (one session) and long-term (3-weeks) training. Participants were exposed to random medial and lateral perturbations consisting of 8-degree rotations of a robot-controlled balance platform. We measured full-body 3D kinematics and activation of 9 muscles (8 stance leg muscles, one trunk muscle) during 2.5 s after the onset of perturbation. The perturbation was divided into 3 phases: phase1 from the onset to maximum rotation of the platform, phase 2 from the maximum rotation angle to the 0-degree angle and phase 3 after platform movement. Balance performance improved after long-term training as evidenced by decreased amplitudes of center of mass acceleration and rate of change of body angular momentum. The rate of change of angular momentum did not directly contribute to return of the center of mass within the base of support, but it reoriented the body to an aligned and vertical position. The improved performance coincided with altered activation of synergies depending on the direction and phase of the perturbation. We concluded that balance training improves control of perturbed balance, and reorganizes feedback responses, by changing temporal patterns of muscle activation. These effects were more pronounced after long-term than short-term training.

Medial Unloader Braces and Lateral Heel Wedges Do not Alter Gait Biomechanics in Healthy Young Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 354-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan S. Goodwin ◽  
Robert A. Creighton ◽  
Brian G. Pietrosimone ◽  
Jeffery T. Spang ◽  
J. Troy Blackburn
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Frontal Plane ◽  
Heel Strike ◽  
Orthotic Devices ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Gait Biomechanics ◽  
Orthopedic Injury ◽  
Unloader Brace

Context: Orthotic devices such as medial unloader knee braces and lateral heel wedges may limit cartilage loading following trauma or surgical repair. However, little is known regarding their effects on gait biomechanics in young, healthy individuals who are at risk of cartilage injury during physical activity due to greater athletic exposure compared with older adults. Objective: Determine the effect of medial unloader braces and lateral heel wedges on lower-extremity kinematics and kinetics in healthy, young adults. Design: Cross-sectional crossover design. Setting: Laboratory setting. Patients: Healthy, young adults who were recreationally active (30 min/d for 3 d/wk) between 18 and 35 years of age, who were free from orthopedic injury for at least 6 months, and with no history of lower-extremity orthopedic surgery. Interventions: All subjects completed normal over ground walking with a medial unloader brace at 2 different tension settings and a lateral heel wedge for a total of 4 separate walking conditions. Main Outcome Measures: Frontal plane knee angle at heel strike, peak varus angle, peak internal knee valgus moment, and frontal plane angular impulse were compared across conditions. Results: The medial unloader brace at 50% (−2.04° [3.53°]) and 100% (−1.80° [3.63°]) maximum load placed the knee in a significantly more valgus orientation at heel strike compared with the lateral heel wedge condition (−0.05° [2.85°]). However, this difference has minimal clinical relevance. Neither of the orthotic devices altered knee kinematics or kinetics relative to the control condition. Conclusions: Although effective in older adults and individuals with varus knee alignment, medial unloader braces and lateral heel wedges do not influence gait biomechanics in young, healthy individuals.

Effects of Aging on Conditional Visuomotor Learning for Grasping and Lifting Eccentrically Weighted Objects

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nishant Rao ◽  
Neha Mehta ◽  
Pujan Patel ◽  
Pranav J Parikh
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
Dexterous Manipulation ◽  
Object Property ◽  
Conditional Learning ◽  
Color Cues ◽  
Effects Of Aging ◽  
Digit Position

Explicit knowledge of object center of mass or CM location fails to guide anticipatory scaling of digit forces necessary for dexterous manipulation. We previously showed that allowing young adults to choose where to grasp the object entailed an ability to use arbitrary color cues about object CM location to gradually minimize object tilt across several trials. This conditional learning was achieved through accurate anticipatory modulation of digit position using the color cues. However, it remains unknown how aging affects the ability to use explicit color cues about object CM location to modulate digit placement for dexterous manipulation. We instructed healthy older and young adults to learn a manipulation task using arbitrary color cues about object CM location. Subjects were required to exert clockwise, counterclockwise, or no torque on the object according to the color cue and lift the object while minimizing its tilt. Older adults produced larger torque error during conditional learning trials, resulting in a slower rate of learning than young adults. Importantly, older adults showed impaired anticipatory modulation of digit position when information of the CM location was available via explicit color cues. The older adults also did not modulate their digit forces to compensate for this impairment. Interestingly, however, anticipatory modulation of digit position was intact in the same individuals when information of object CM location was implicitly conveyed from trial-to-trial. We discuss our findings in relation to age-dependent changes in processes and neural network essential for learning dexterous manipulation using arbitrary color cue about object property.

Postural Stability While Walking and Carrying Loads in Various Postures

1994 ◽  
Vol 38 (10) ◽  
pp. 564-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Holbein ◽  
M.S. Redfern
Keyword(s):  
Postural Stability ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
Frontal Plane ◽  
The Body ◽  
Limits Of Stability ◽  
Stability Analyses ◽  
Load Carrying ◽  
Mass Displacement ◽  
Stability Issues ◽  
Balance Loss

Falls, over-exertion injuries and other potential consequences of balance losses continue to be serious ergonomic concerns. Stability issues are important in the prevention of these injuries, especially when the task is complicated by handling loads. However, stability analyses are not typical components of ergonomic job analyses. This study demonstrated that stability assessments can be effective in recommending load-carrying strategies. In particular, the effects of load positioning and magnitude on stability were investigated. Unladen walking was also tested for comparison. Several stability measures were defined based on the body-and-load's center of mass displacement in the frontal plane. Statistical differences among the load positions and magnitudes were found and are discussed. Results were consistent across measures. Additional work is needed to better define the limits of stability while carrying and to relate these, or other, stability measures to the likelihood of a balance loss.

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

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 47-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthieu P. Boisgontier ◽  
Boris Cheval ◽  
Sima Chalavi ◽  
Peter van Ruitenbeek ◽  
Inge Leunissen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Balance Loss

scholarly journals Effectiveness of a Robot-Mediated Strategy While Counteracting Multidirectional Slippages

Robotica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 2119-2131 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Aprigliano ◽  
V. Monaco ◽  
P. Tropea ◽  
D. Martelli ◽  
N. Vitiello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Sagittal Plane ◽  
Frontal Plane ◽  
Balance Recovery ◽  
Margin Of Stability ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Balance Loss

SummaryThis study investigates the effectiveness of a robot-mediated strategy aimed at promoting balance recovery after multidirectional slippages. Six older adults were asked to manage anteroposterior and mediolateral slippages while donning an active pelvis orthosis (APO). The APO was set up either to assist volunteers during balance loss or to be transparent. The margin of stability, in sagittal and frontal planes, was the main metric to assess the effectiveness of balance recovery. Results showed that the assistive strategy is effective at promoting balance recovery in the sagittal plane, for both perturbing paradigms; however, it is not effective at controlling stability in the frontal plane.

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