Control of Stance and Developmental Coordination Disorder: The Role of Visual Information

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eryk P. Przysucha ◽  
M. Jane Taylor

The purpose of this study was to compare the postural sway profiles of 20 boys with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) on two conditions of a quiet standing task: eyes open and eyes closed. Anterior-posterior (AP) sway, medio-lateral sway (LAT), area of sway, total path length, and Romberg’s quotient were analyzed. When visual information was available, there was no difference between groups in LAT sway or path length. However, boys with DCD demonstrated more AP sway (p < .01) and greater area of sway (p < .03), which resulted in pronounced excursions closer to their stability limits. Analysis of Romberg’s quotient indicated that boys with DCD did not over-rely on visual information.

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 442-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zohreh Meshkati ◽  
Mehdi Namazizadeh ◽  
Mahyar Salavati ◽  
Masood Mazaheri

Context:Although reliability is a population-specific property, few studies have investigated the measurement error associated with force-platform parameters in athletic populations.Objective:To investigate the skill-related differences between athletes and nonathletes in reliability of center-of-pressure (COP) summary measures under eyes-open (EO) and eyes-closed (EC) conditions.Design:Test–retest reliability study.Setting:COP was recorded during double-leg quiet standing on a Kistler force platform before and after a fatiguing treadmill exercise, with EO and EC.Participants:31 male participants including 15 athletes practiced in karate and 16 nonathletes.Main Outcome Measures:Standard deviation (SD) of amplitude, phase-plane portrait, SD of velocity, mean total velocity, and area were calculated from 30-s COP data. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement, and coefficient of variation (CV) were used as estimates of reliability and precision.Results:Higher ICCs were found for COP measures in the athlete (compared with the nonathlete) group, postfatigued (compared with prefatigued) condition, and EC (compared with EO) tests. CVs smaller than 15% were obtained for most of the COP measures. SD of velocity in the anteroposterior direction showed the highest reliability in most conditions.Conclusions:Tests with EC and to a lesser extent tests performed in the athlete group and in the postfatigued condition showed better reliability.


2008 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 457-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Liang Tsai ◽  
Sheng-Kuang Wu

The study explored the relations of visual perceptual deficits and motor impairments in 60 children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (120.8 ± 4.0 mo.) and 60 controls (121.0 ± 5.3 mo.), who were matched by sex (29 boys and 31 girls) and age. They were separately assessed on fine and gross motor-dexterity tasks of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, static balance and reaction time of lower extremities with eyes open or closed, and the Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills–Revised. Analysis showed the children with Developmental Coordination Disorder performed significantly worse than the control group, but only the visual perception and motor skills with timed responses were significantly correlated. When visual information was controlled, no significant correlation was noted, so motor-free visual perception appears to be significantly related to motor performance having a speed component in these children.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Bateni

BACKGROUND: Falls can be detrimental to overall health and quality of life for lower extremity amputees. Most previous studies of postural steadiness focus on quantification of time series variables extracted from postural sway signals. While it has been suggested that frequency domain variables can provide more valuable information, few current studies have evaluated postural sway in amputees using frequency domain variables. OBJECTIVE: To determine time and frequency domain variables of postural sway among lower extremity amputees vs. healthy young and older adult controls. METHODOLOGY: Participants were assigned to 3 groups:  lower extremity amputation (n=6), healthy young adults (n=10), and healthy older adults (n=10). Standing barefoot on a force platform, each individual completed 3 trials of each of 3 standing conditions: eyes open, eyes closed, and standing on a foam balance pad. Time and frequency domain variables of postural sway were computed and analyzed. RESULTS: Comparison of older adults, younger adults, and amputees on the three conditions of standing eyes open, eyes closed, and on foam revealed significant differences between groups. Mean mediolateral (ML) sway distance from the center of pressure (COP), total excursions and sway velocity was significantly higher for amputees and older adults when compared to young adults (p<0.05). Furthermore, power of sway signal was substantially lower for both amputees and older adults. When compared to that of older adults, postural steadiness of amputees was more affected by the eyes closed condition, whereas older adults’ was more affected when sensory and proprioceptive information was perturbed by standing on foam.  CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that fall risk is greater in amputees than in young adults without amputation. Additionally, amputees may rely more heavily on visual information than proprioceptive information for balance, in contrast to older and young adults without amputation.  Layman's Abstract Falls can be detrimental to overall health and quality of life for lower extremity amputees. We evaluated postural sway and concluded that amputees have an increased fall risk and may rely more heavily on visual information for balance than do individuals without amputation. Article PDF Link:https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cpoj/article/view/33804/26600 How To Cite: Bateni H. Postural sway in lower extremity amputees and older adults may suggest increased fall risk in amputees. Canadian Prosthetics & Orthotics Journal. 2020;Volume 3, Issue 2, No.4. https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v3i2.33804 Corresponding Author: Hamid Bateni, PhD Physical Therapy Program, School of Allied Health and Communicative Disorders, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA.E-mail: [email protected]: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9083-1817


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michał Lenart ◽  
Marta Gielas-Relidzyńska ◽  
Andrzej Szczygieł ◽  
Sylwia Mętel

Introduction: The upright posture uniquely characteristic of humans is dependent upon many factors. Kinesio Taping is used to enhance ankle joint stability, but its effectiveness in relation to body stability in a standing position has not yet been verified in scientific research. Objectives: Assessment of the effect of ankle Kinesio Taping on stabilometric parameters in young, healthy women. Material and Methods: The study included 50 healthy women (mean age 21.12 ±1.83 years) who were randomly assigned to two groups: the taping group (group T) and control group (group C). In the taping group Kinesio Taping was applied according to the method used in ankle sprains (both inversion and eversion). The women performed the Romberg test four times with each trial lasting two minutes on an Alfa AC International East stabilometric platform: two tests without Kinesio taping intervention and two further tests with (group T) or without taping (group C). Results: Significant differences between the groups were observed in the following parameters: mean speed in the sagittal plane with eyes open; 0.06 cm/s (p=0.0002), mean speed in the frontal plane with eyes open; 0.07 cm/s (p=0.0001), total path length with eyes open; 5.78 cm (p=0.0001) and sway area with eyes open; 0.58 cm2 (p=0.0002) and in parameters: mean velocity in the sagittal plane with eyes closed; 0.10 cm/s (p=0.0004), mean velocity in the frontal plane with eyes closed; 0.11 cm/s (p=0.0004) and in total path length with eyes closed; 0.43 cm (p=0.0004). Conclusions: In young, healthy women who received Kinesio Taping, favourable changes in stabilometric parameters were found indicating better ankle stability than in the group without taping.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Duncan ◽  
Elizabeth Bryant ◽  
Mike Price ◽  
Samuel Oxford ◽  
Emma Eyre ◽  
...  

This study examined postural sway in children in eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) conditions, controlling for body mass index (BMI) and physical activity (PA). Sixty two children (aged 8–11years) underwent sway assessment using computerized posturography from which 95% ellipse sway area, anterior/posterior (AP) sway, medial/lateral (ML) sway displacement and sway velocity were assessed. Six trials were performed alternatively in EO and EC. BMI (kg/m2) was determined from height and mass. PA was determined using sealed pedometry. AP amplitude (p = .038), ML amplitude (p = .001), 95% ellipse (p = .0001), and sway velocity (p = .012) were higher in EC compared with EO conditions. BMI and PA were not significant as covariates. None of the sway variables were significantly related to PA. However, sway velocity during EO (p = .0001) and EC (p = .0001) was significantly related to BMI. These results indicate that sway is poorer when vision is removed, that BMI influences sway velocity, but that pedometer-assessed PA was not associated with postural sway.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 013-022
Author(s):  
Blanchet Mariève ◽  
Prince François ◽  
Lemay Martin ◽  
Chouinard Sylvain ◽  
Messier Julie

We explored if adolescents with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) had functional postural control impairments and how these deficits are linked to a disturbance in the processing and integration of sensory information. We evaluated the displacements of the center of pressure (COP) during maximal leaning in four directions (forward, backward, rightward, leftward) and under three sensory conditions (eyes open, eyes closed, eyes closed standing on foam). GTS adolescents showed deficits in postural stability and in lateral postural adjustments but they had similar maximal COP excursion than the control group. The postural performance of the GTS group was poorer in the eyes open condition (time to phase 1 onset, max-mean COP). Moreover, they displayed a poorer ability to maintain the maximum leaning position under the eyes open condition during mediolateral leaning tasks. By contrast, during forward leaning, they showed larger min-max ranges than control subjects while standing on the foam with the eyes closed. Together, these findings support the idea that GTS produces subclinical postural control deficits. Importantly, our results suggest that postural control disorders in GTS are highly sensitive to voluntary postural leaning tasks which have high demand for multimodal sensory integration.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Hiroki Aoki ◽  
Shin-ichi Demura ◽  
Kenji Takahashi ◽  
Hiroshi Hirai

Recently, to evaluate dynamic balance ability, a stipulated tempo step test has been developed, and a step error between tempo and contact time of feet has been used as an evaluation variable. The step error, postural sway, and their relationships may differ between the slow tempo (40 bpm) and fast tempo (120 bpm). This study aimed to examine the aforementioned problem with 62 participant children (30 boys and 32 girls). The step error and postural sway variables (X-axis path length, Y-axis path length, total path length, peripheral area, and rectangular area) during stepping while matching both tempos were measured. Means of one minute and three intervals (0–20 sec, 20–40 sec, and 40–60 sec) for each variable were calculated in both tempos. The results of the paired t-test showed that means of all variables were larger in the 40 bpm tempo than in the 120 bpm tempo. In the multiple comparison tests after the results of the two-way repeated measures ANOVA, the means of three intervals in all variables were larger in the 40 bpm tempo than in the 120 bpm tempo; the means of the sway variables, excluding that of the X-axis path length, in the 40 bpm tempo were larger in the 0–20 sec interval than in the 20–40 sec interval or the 40–60 sec interval. Correlations between step errors and those between the step error and sway variables of both tempos were insignificant or under moderation. The correlations between the step error and sway variables in both tempos were insignificant or significant but low, and those among sway variables were high, except between the X- and Y-axis path lengths. The relationship between both axis path lengths differed according to the tempo. In conclusion, in the case of the stipulated tempo step test targeting children, the slow tempo has a greater step error and postural sway than the fast tempo, and the sway in the early step stage is greater in the slow tempo. The relationships between step errors and between the step error and sway variables of both tempos are low; hence, the ability related to the test may differ in both tempos. The relationships among sway variables in both tempos are high, except between the X- and Y-axis path lengths.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarina Francescato Torres ◽  
Júlia Guimarães Reis ◽  
Daniela Cristina Carvalho de Abreu

Objective To verify the effects of gender and physical activity on postural sway. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze upright balance of young men and women between the ages of 20-30, both active and sedentary. Study participants were 60 individuals, who were divided into: active women (n = 15), sedentary women (n = 15), active men (n = 15) and sedentary men (n = 15). The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form, was used to evaluate each participant’s level of physical activity. According to the questionnaire, active individuals are those who carry out moderate activity, with an energy expenditure between 3.5 and 6 METs (1 MET: 3.5 ml/kg/min), or vigorous activity, with an energy expenditure above 6 METs, at least three days a week for 20 minutes. To assess control of postural sway, we measured the amplitude and velocity of anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) sway in standing position, with their eyes open and closed, with and without foam, on a force platform. Results Comparison between genders revealed that, when compared to sedentary women, sedentary men displayed poorer performance in velocity and amplitude of AP postural control sway with their eyes closed, with and without foam. There were no differences in the amplitude and velocity of ML sway, both with open and closed eyes among groups (p < 0.05). There were no differences when comparing physically active men and women either. Conclusion Sedentary men seem to rely more on vision for maintaining postural control in quiet standing situations with respect to women.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (S1) ◽  
pp. 26-26
Author(s):  
Haylie Miller ◽  
Nicoleta Bugnariu ◽  
Priscila Caçola ◽  
Rita Patterson

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental coordination disorder (DCD) share overlap in their motor symptom profile and underlying neurology (Sumner, Leonard, & Hill, 2016, JADD). DSM-5 guidelines allow these 2 disorders to be independent or co-occurring (APA, 2013), but common clinical practice does not include systematic assessment to determine the presence or absence of co-occurring DCD in children with ASD, or vice versa. Furthermore, in many cases DCD is managed in a nonspecific manner, with schools making accommodations for a child’s motor challenges without formally assigning a diagnosis of DCD. Thus, somewhat subjective, qualitative judgments are made by clinicians to classify children as DCD, ASD, or ASD+DCD in the absence of a reliable, valid, quantitative measure to distinguish between these profiles. As a first step toward developing such a measure, researchers must tease apart the nuanced differences in the motor symptoms of these 2 developmental disorders using methods that are scalable to clinical and educational settings. These methods must also be developed with consideration for logistical variables such as cost, clinical utility of data output, and ease-of-use if they are to be transferrable to physicians, school nurses, and other community health workers outside of academic laboratory settings. To that end, we conducted 2 complementary studies: 1 in the lab and 1 in the community. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: In the community-based study, we used an affordable, user-friendly, portable balance testing system to assess postural stability during quiet standing (feet shoulder-width apart) with eyes open for 30 seconds. Data were generated from a single force plate in the balance platform. Potential participants were screened for other medical and neurological conditions that might impact their postural stability, and those with significant comorbidities were excluded. We tested 15 children with a reported diagnosis of ASD, 8 children with suspected or diagnosed DCD who were enrolled in a motor intervention program, and 30 typically-developing (TD) children with no significant developmental history reported. The ASD group ranged in age from 7 to 20, the DCD group ranged from 7 to 10, and the TD group ranged from 7 to 19. In the lab-based study, we again obtained force plate data during quiet standing (feet shoulder-width apart) with eyes open for 30 seconds, in our system that also included full-body motion capture, virtual reality, and mobile eye tracking. (Data from these additional sources are not discussed in this disseminaton, as our current focus is on identifying a simple, scalable metric that can be used to distinguish ASD from DCD.) We tested 10 children with a diagnosis of ASD that was confirmed by the research team, 10 children with a diagnosis of DCD that was confirmed by the research team, and 5 TD children with no significant developmental history reported. The ASD group ranged in age from 7 to 18, the DCD group ranged from 8 to 12, and the TD group ranged from 9 to 18. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Primary outcome measures in both studies were related to Center of Pressure (CoP), including CoP sway, CoP velocity, and amount of sway relative to the base of support. Data analysis from both studies is ongoing, but preliminary trends suggest that CoP metrics may effectively differentiate between ASD, DCD, and TD. During quiet standing, individuals with DCD exhibited the greatest postural sway. Individuals with ASD followed, having greater instability than the TD group. Differences were also evident in the velocity profiles of postural sway. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Preliminary findings suggest that CoP offers a means of differentiating between typical and atypical development specifically with respect to motor symptoms. This simple, quantifiable measure may prove a sensitive and specific means of systematically assessing co-occurrence of ASD and DCD in clinical and educational settings, leading to more accurate diagnostic classification and tailored intervention. Future directions include conducting analyses that account for participant age and developmental stage with respect to motor skills, determining whether trends hold in a larger sample, and using advanced statistical methods to determine whether CoP variables have predictive validity in discriminating between classifications of ASD, DCD, ASD+DCD, and TD. Eye-movement data were also obtained during these tasks, and may further aid in understanding the factors contributing to atypical postural control. These 2 studies also yielded methodological findings, namely that the portable force platform carries the benefit of high ease-of-use, low cost, and portability, but also has important drawbacks. Specifically, it is not capable of registering accurate CoP data for participants who weigh <40 lbs, and the error variance for the load cells is greater than that of most nonportable, higher-end plates like those embedded in our laboratory’s platform. As technological advances continue to facilitate development of more portable, higher-resolution systems, these drawbacks may be significantly reduced. Future directions include further assessment of portable, affordable solutions for this type of testing to identify whether higher-resolution options are available, whether this added resolution increases classification accuracy, and how ease-of-use is perceived by clinical and community health workers.


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