One-Leg Standing Performance and Muscle Activity: Are There Limb Differences?

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Muehlbauer ◽  
Claude Mettler ◽  
Ralf Roth ◽  
Urs Granacher
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Balance Performance ◽  
Balance Testing ◽  
Leg Muscles ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Sensory Condition

The purpose of this study was to compare static balance performance and muscle activity during one-leg standing on the dominant and nondominant leg under various sensory conditions with increased levels of task difficulty. Thirty healthy young adults (age: 23 ± 2 years) performed one-leg standing tests for 30 s under three sensory conditions (ie, eyes open/firm ground; eyes open/foam ground [elastic pad on top of the balance plate]; eyes closed/firm ground). Center of pressure displacements and activity of four lower leg muscles (ie, m. tibialis anterior [TA], m. soleus [SOL], m. gastrocnemius medialis [GAS], m. peroneus longus [PER]) were analyzed. An increase in sensory task difficulty resulted in deteriorated balance performance (P< .001, effect size [ES] = .57−2.54) and increased muscle activity (P< .001, ES = .50−1.11) for all but two muscles (ie, GAS, PER). However, regardless of the sensory condition, one-leg standing on the dominant as compared with the nondominant limb did not produce statistically significant differences in various balance (P> .05, ES = .06−.22) and electromyographic (P> .05, ES = .03−.13) measures. This indicates that the dominant and the nondominant leg can be used interchangeably during static one-leg balance testing in healthy young adults.

Evaluation of Standing Balance Performance in Indian Classical Dancers

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-23
Author(s):  
Juhi K. Bharnuke ◽  
Rajani P. Mullerpatan ◽  
Claire Hiller
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Standing Balance ◽  
Balance Performance ◽  
Classical Dance ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Second Dual ◽  
Indian Classical Dance ◽  
Base Of Support

Indian classical dance involves a constant change of the base of support from stance to low jumps and spins along with intricate footwork. Graceful movement of the torso, shifting from side to side and turning around the axis of the spine, challenges balance. Yet, balance performance remains unexplored in Indian classical dancers. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the standing balance of 36 active female dancers (18 to 25 years of age) who had performed Indian classical dance for a minimum of 10 years with 36 healthy age-matched women not involved in regular physical activity. Balance was evaluated in static and dynamic conditions of single and dual-limb stance on a force plate using center-of-pressure trajectory and the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT). Dancers demonstrated better balance on both instrumented and non-instrumented outcome variables: wide base of support with eyes open and with eyes closed; for 30-second single limb stance with eyes open and with eyes closed; for 13-second dual task in single limb stance; and for 22-second dual task in wide base of support. The SEBT revealed significantly better balance performance of dancers in the three directions tested: anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral. There was also a strength component of the study on which the dancers achieved significantly higher scores than controls for the three muscle groups tested (gastrocsoleus, gluteus medius, and quadriceps), which can be attributed to their training. These findings can be used to recommend classical dance training to achieve the dual purpose of deriving better balance and stronger bodies and maintaining the Indian dance heritage.

Can Taekwondo Footwear Affect Postural Stability in Young Adults?

2013 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley S. M. Fong ◽  
Shamay S. M. Ng
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Balance Performance ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Sensory Organization ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Strategy Score ◽  
Visual Conditions

Background: This study aims to investigate the effect of taekwondo footwear on unilateral stance stability and use of postural control strategies and to determine whether taekwondo footwear influences the somatosensory inputs for postural stability and postural strategies in young adults. Methods: A quasi-randomized crossover trial was conducted on 33 healthy young adults at a university research laboratory. Independent variables, including shoe conditions (shoes on and shoes off) and visual conditions (eyes open and eyes closed), were taken into account. The center of gravity (COG) sway velocity in unilateral stance and the strategy scores in the sensory organization test were measured. No intervention was given to the participants. Results: There was no significant interaction between the two factors (the shoe and visual conditions) for COG sway velocities (P = .447) and strategy scores (P = .320). The shoe condition was not significant in either COG sway velocity (P = .484) or strategy score (P = .126). The visual condition was significant for COG sway velocity (P &lt; .001) but not for strategy score (P = .573). The mean ± SD COG sway velocity with eyes open was 0.7° ± 0.2°/sec and with eyes closed was 1.7° ± 0.6°/sec (P &lt; .001). Conclusions: Taekwondo footwear is unlikely to affect somatosensory inputs and balance performance in young adults. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 103(4): 291–296, 2013)

Investigating Female Athletes’ Balance Using Center-of-Pressure (COP) Derived Displacement and Velocity Parameters

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Badache ◽  
Lonika Behera ◽  
Nian Zhang ◽  
Lara A. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Collegiate Athletes ◽  
Difficulty Level ◽  
Balance Performance ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Athletic Activities ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Track Athletes

A realization of how specific exercises relate to balance performance is important for a wide demographic of individuals. Maintaining active and healthy living is particularly important for balance-impaired individuals (e.g., otherwise healthy individuals recovering from injury, fall-prone elderly, and stroke survivors) whom are interested in improving their balance for function in daily life. However, balance performance is also important for persons that are unimpaired (e.g., athletes). How balance performance may be improved as a result of, and in relation to, various athletic activities and exercises is a common question. Further, how certain activities can be used to prevent injury is an ultimate goal. Our objective was to compare standing balance in 3 unimpaired groups (i.e., female track & female tennis collegiate athletes and female non-athletes). To assess static balance, participants performed stance variations increasing in difficulty-level, utilizing a wide or tandem stance (increasing or decreasing support base) and eyes-open or eyes-closed (limiting or providing visual cues), while standing on a forceplate walkway. Through the recorded ground reaction forceplate-based, center-of-pressure (COP) position time series, we extracted velocity and displacement parameters that aided in identifying differences between the above groups. Our general findings were that anterior-posterior (AP, or front-to-back) COP displacement and velocity measures for female track athletes were unchanged relative to the (baseline) female non-athletes. However, mediolateral (ML, or side-to-side) measures, which have previously been shown to be associated with fall-risk, showed observable differences in displacement and velocity parameters, particularly for the female track athletes. Specifically, the female track athletes were better able to control their ML COP velocity in eyes-closed, wide, and eyes-open tandem conditions compared to non-athletes. However, tennis athletes had difficulty balancing in situations where eyes were closed (vision eliminated) and feet were tandem (base-of-support decreased) which was made apparent by the increases in all AP and ML COP-derived parameters. We interpreted this finding as the female tennis athletes were trained to rely heavily on visual cues (e.g., hand-eye or eye-body coordination), and also their balance may be more focused on maintaining their center-of-mass stability and body orientation, as opposed to COP per se. Our study lends new insights as to how various types of athletic activities, and reliance on vision in athletes, impacts balance performance in un-impaired females.

The Immediate Effects of Tai Chi via a Video Platform Delivery on the Postural Stability of Healthy Young Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-38
Author(s):  
Zachary A. M. Cordingley ◽  
Paolo Sanzo ◽  
Carlos Zerpa
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Tai Chi ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Instructional Video ◽  
Surface Conditions ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Adult Participants ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Eyes Open

Tai chi is effective for improving the postural stability of older adults, but the effects on healthy young adults has yet to be investigated. Currently, the use of virtual delivery platforms for various exercise prescriptions to patients has had to be quickly introduced related to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and physical distancing requirements. This study attempted to explore the pre-/post-test measures of postural stability from 15 healthy young adult participants under eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) and firm/foam surface conditions after learning a battery of tai chi exercises and forms delivered by instructional video. Center of pressure-based measures of mean sway velocity (MSV) and 95% elliptical sway area (EA) were assessed. Three-way ANOVAs were conducted to determine if MSV and EA were significantly different across the eye conditions, surface conditions, and time. Both EA and MSV were found to significantly increase from EO to EC on a foam surface; however, only MSV under EC conditions was found to decrease significantly following the intervention.

IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT FOREFOOT WEDGES ON STANDING STABILITY IN YOUNG ADULTS

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (01) ◽  
pp. 1850014
Author(s):  
Chu-Fen Chang ◽  
Hui-Ji Fan ◽  
Hung-Bin Chen ◽  
Houu-Wooi Lim ◽  
Hsiao-Yuan Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Balance Control ◽  
Random Sequence ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Arch Support ◽  
Forward Falls

The aim of this study was to investigate the immediate effect of wearing the functional insoles with different slopes of forefoot wedges on postural stability in young adults during quiet stance. In this study, the functional insole was composed of a forefoot wedge and a medial arch support. Twelve healthy young adults (six males and six females) participated. Each subject wore sneakers with and without functional insole and stood as still as possible on a force plate with feet together, arms by side and head facing ahead for 60[Formula: see text]s, while eyes open and eyes closed, respectively. The functional insole was applied in the random sequence of no insole, wearing insole with a medial arch and a four-degree forefoot wedge, as well as wearing insole with a medial arch and an eight-degree forefoot wedge. The sway areas as well as the maximal excursions of the center of pressure (COP) in anterior–posterior (AP) and medial–lateral (ML) directions were used to evaluate the static postural stability. During stance with feet together and eyes closed, the sway area and maximal excursion of the COP in the AP direction were significantly decreased when wearing an eight-degree forefoot wedge functional insole. Since the reduced displacements of the COP indicated better postural control, it was suggested that the functional insole with an eight-degree forefoot wedge and a medial arch support might be beneficial to improve the postural stability in patients with impaired balance control, especially for whom having high risk of forward falls.

scholarly journals Balance Performance With and Without Visual Information: A Comparison of Elite Players With Chronic Ankle Instability

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-132
Author(s):  
Zahra Raeisi ◽  
◽  
Ali Yalfani ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Information ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Ankle Instability ◽  
Chronic Ankle Instability ◽  
Balance Performance ◽  
Balance Test ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Volleyball Players ◽  
Eyes Open

Introduction: This research was conducted to determine whether professional athletes with Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI) exhibit differences in maintaining balance under conditions of with and without visual information Materials and Methods: Forty-five elite players with CAI were classified into soccer, volleyball, and basketball groups (n=15 each). All participants performed a static single-leg balance test in conditions wherein visual information was provided and withheld. Also, their center of pressure (CoP) oscillation parameters was measured. The data were examined through an analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey test. Results: A significant difference was found between the soccer and volleyball players (P=0.034) in anteroposterior CoP displacement. Furthermore, there was a significant difference between soccer compared with volleyball (P=0.001) and basketball (P=0.02) groups regarding mediolateral sway and sway area (P=0.003 and P=0.03, respectively) when they performed the test with their eyes open. A significant difference occurred between the soccer and volleyball players concerning anteroposterior and mediolateral sway (P=0.002 and P=0.04, respectively) and sway area (P=0.004) when they performed the test with their eyes closed. Conclusion: Given the necessity of maintaining a good balance in sports, volleyball coaches should design practices that reduce players’ reliance on visual information. These practices should strengthen their proprioceptive abilities through an increased challenge to their proprioceptive senses.

scholarly journals Effects of white Gaussian noise on dynamic balance in healthy young adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziyou Zhou ◽  
Can Wu ◽  
Zhen Hu ◽  
Yujuan Chai ◽  
Kai Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Gaussian Noise ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Dynamic Balance ◽  
White Gaussian Noise ◽  
Fluctuation Analysis ◽  
Balance Performance ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Crossover Point ◽  
Short Time

AbstractIt has been known that short-time auditory stimulation can contribute to the improvement of the balancing ability of the human body. The present study aims to explore the effects of white Gaussian noise (WGN) of different intensities and frequencies on dynamic balance performance in healthy young adults. A total of 20 healthy young participants were asked to stand at a dynamic balance force platform, which swung along the x-axis with an amplitude of ± 4° and frequency of 1 Hz. Their center of pressure (COP) trajectories were recorded when they were stimulated by WGN of different intensities (block 1) and different frequencies (block 2). A traditional method and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) were used for data preprocessing. The authors found that only with 75–85 dB WGN, the COP parameters improved. WGN frequency did not affect the dynamic balance performance of all the participants. The DFA results indicated stimulation with 75 dB WGN enhanced the short-term index and reduced the crossover point. Stimulation with 500 Hz and 2500 Hz WGN significantly enhanced the short-term index. These results suggest that 75 dB WGN and 500 Hz and 2500 Hz WGN improved the participants’ dynamic balance performance. The results of this study indicate that a certain intensity of WGN is indispensable to achieve a remarkable improvement in dynamic balance. The DFA results suggest that WGN only affected the short-term persistence, indicating the potential of WGN being considered as an adjuvant therapy in low-speed rehabilitation training.

scholarly journals The influence of an aquatic exercise program on balance in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarida Ferreira ◽  
Cristina Mesquita ◽  
Paula Santos ◽  
João Borges ◽  
Maria Graça ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ankylosing Spondylitis ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Wilcoxon Test ◽  
Aquatic Exercise ◽  
Body Sway ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Eyes Open

Abstract Background Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease that leads to a limitation of mobility, which can cause postural deficits and progressive loss of balance. Aquatic exercise improves this health condition. The objetive is to verify the influence of an aquatic exercise program, on balance and functionality, in individuals with AS. Methods Pre-experimental study carried out on 6 individuals with AS. All individuals were assessed at baseline (M0) and 12 weeks after the intervention (M1) using the Bath indices (BASMI, BASFI and BASDAI) and the balance assessment protocol (‘Body Sway’) by the Physiosensing Platform. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Program Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 26. Were used descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon test to compare M0 and M1. The significance value was 0.05. Results We verify improvements in BASMI (P = 0.046), BASFI (P = 0.042) and BASDAI (P = 0.027) scores. Through the analysis of the center of pressure variables, there were no statistically significant differences, between moments, in the protocol. However, when assessing balance, in the anteroposterior mean distance in both the protocol (eyes open) and in the protocol (eyes closed), in the root mean square in both protocols and in mediolateral mean velocity, only in the protocol (eyes open), there was a slight decrease in the median value. Conclusions The present study suggests that the specific aquatic exercise program, may influence balance and improve functionality in a population with AS. Therefore, the Bath indices translate improvements in the symptoms and functionalities of these participants.

scholarly journals Maximal stability limits in adolescents with Tourette syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 013-022
Author(s):  
Blanchet Mariève ◽  
Prince François ◽  
Lemay Martin ◽  
Chouinard Sylvain ◽  
Messier Julie
Keyword(s):  
Postural Control ◽  
Tourette Syndrome ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Stability Limits

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.

Does Dual Motor Tasks Provokes Posture Adaptations in Healthy Young Adults? A Cross-sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carley Bowman ◽  
Aleena Jose ◽  
Martin G Rosario
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
P Value ◽  
Motor Tasks ◽  
Anova Analysis ◽  
Dual Tasks ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Eyes Open

Introduction: Most studies on postural deviations during single and dual tasks have been extensively studied in neuromuscular and older adult populations. Nevertheless, further research is warranted to identify whether such tasks can impose postural adaptations in young, healthy adults without sensory impairments. Aim: To assess postural stability modifications in young adults during single tasks and dual motor tasks (holding a cup filled with water) while concomitantly challenging the sensory systems. Materials and Methods: This was the cross-sectional study on 82 young adults (18-45 years old) from Texas Woman’s University (TWU) Health Science Center in Dallas, Texas, and surrounding areas. Standing postural control was measured by collecting total sway, direction of sway and velocity in the Anterior-Posterior (AP) and Medial-Lateral (ML) directions during different balance tasks. For single and dual tasks, the tests were performed with a bipedal stance on foam involving challenging the sensory input via Eyes Open (EO), Eyes Closed (EC), and head movements with eyes open (EO HUD) and closed (EC HUD). The dual motor tasks were similar to the single tasks with the addition of holding a cup full of water to split attention. Data were placed into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Data Analysis 25.0 system and were analysed for repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) analysis. Results: Eighty-two healthy young adults participated in this study (mean age of 24.6±2.7 years, 13 males and 69 females). An ANOVA analysis revealed that postural stability was considerably altered during motor tasks. Sway in the Antero-Posterior (AP) direction, and velocity of sway increased as the complexity of the tasks intensified. A substantial difference in total sway during single tasks when eyes were closed compared to eyes open (p-value <0.01) was noted. There was a significant difference in total sway (AP and ML) during eyes open (EOM) to eyes closed (ECM) and during eyes open with head moving up and down (EOM HUD) (p-value 0.001). There were significant differences in mean AP velocity during EO (0.11±0.12) compared to EC HUD (0.19±0.15), and when comparing EOM (0.07±0.04) to ECM HUD (0.13±0.08) (p=0.01) Conclusion: This study identified postural changes when comparing single and dual tasks in healthy young adults, and the outcomes of this study showed definite distinctions in postural responses during single and dual motor tasks.

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