Effect of Rear-Foot Orthotics on Postural Control in Healthy Subjects

2001 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Hertel ◽  
Craig R. Denegar ◽  
W.E. Buckley ◽  
Neil A. Sharkey ◽  
Wayne L. Stokes

Objective:To identify changes in sagittal- and frontal-plane center of pressure (COP) excursion length and velocity during single-leg stance under 6 orthotic conditions.Design:1 × 6 repeated-measures.Setting:University biomechanics laboratory.Participants:Fifteen healthy young adults without excessive forefoot, arch, or rear-foot malalignments.Measurements:Selected variables of COP length and velocity were calculated in both the frontal and sagittal planes during three 5-second trials of quiet unilateral stance.Methods:Postural control was assessed under 6 conditions: shoe only and 5 orthotics.Results:The medially posted orthotic caused the least frontal COP length and velocity, and the Cramer Sprained Ankle Orthotic® caused the greatest frontal-plane sway. No significant differences were found between the different orthotic conditions in sagittal-plane measures.Conclusions:Differently posted rear-foot orthotics had various effects on frontal-plane postural control in healthy participants. Further research is needed on pathological populations.

Author(s):  
Mansour Abdullah Alshehri ◽  
Wolbert van den Hoorn ◽  
David Klyne ◽  
Paul W. Hodges

Unstable sitting paradigms have been used to assess the trunk's contribution to postural control. The coordination of spine or hip with an unstable seat that underpin postural control during this task remain unclear. This study aimed to address this issue using analysis in the frequency domain. Seventy-two healthy participants maintained balance while sitting on a seat fixed to a hemisphere. Angular motion of seat, spinal regions (lower lumber, lumbar, upper lumbar and thoracic) and hip was recorded with a 3-D motion capture system. Coordination between spinal regions and hip with the seat was quantified using cross-spectral analyses. In the sagittal plane; amplitude spectrum of hip and lumbar segments were higher than other segments, coherence between these segments and the seat was high, and their motion was generally opposite in direction to the seat. In the frontal plane; amplitude spectrum of lower lumbar and lumbar segments, but not the hip, were higher than other segments, and coherently moved in the opposite direction to the seat. Segments closest to the seat made a direction-specific and greater contribution to maintenance of equilibrium than upper body segments, which were more limited during unstable sitting. Although eye closure and higher body mass index involved larger amplitude of center of pressure movement, rather than inferring poor control, this was associated with enhanced coordination between segments and seat. Understanding how hip/spine segments are coordinated with the seat is important to interpret postural strategies used to maintain equilibrium and to interpret observations for other populations (e.g., back pain).


2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafał Stemplewski ◽  
Janusz Maciaszek ◽  
Maciej Tomczak ◽  
Robert Szeklicki ◽  
Dorota Sadowska ◽  
...  

The aim of the study was to compare the effect of exercise on postural control (PC) among the elderly with lower or higher level of habitual physical activity (HPA). The study involved 17 elderly men (mean age 72.9 ± 4.79 years). Mean velocity of the center of pressure (COP) displacements was measured using a force plate both before and after cycle ergometer exercise. A significantly higher increase in mean velocity of COP displacements and its component in the sagittal plane were observed in the group with lower level of HPA in comparison with the group with higher HPA level. Simultaneously, a relatively similar reaction to the exercise in the frontal plane was observed in both groups, possibly connected to the specific type of used exercise, which mainly activated the sagittal muscles.


2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 363-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawn M. Corbin ◽  
Joseph M. Hart ◽  
Patrick O. McKeon ◽  
Christopher D. Ingersoll ◽  
Jay Hertel

Context:Increased plantar cutaneous afferent information may improve postural control.Objective:To compare postural control measures between balance conditions with and without textured insoles.Design:crossover trial.Setting:Research Laboratory.Patients or Other Participants:33 healthy subjects (27.4 ± 9.1yrs, 172.6 ± 10.3 cm, 75.4 ± 16.4 kg).Intervention(s):Subjects performed 24, 10-second bipedal and unilateral stance balance trials with eyes opened and eyes closed, with and without a textured insole in subjects’ shoes.Main Outcome Measures:Average velocity and area of center of pressure (COP) excursions.Results:We observed an interaction among balance conditions during bilateral stance, but not during unilateral stance. On average, subjects exhibited greater area and velocity of COP excursions with eyes closed compared to eyes opened. Significant differences in area and velocity of COP excursions were observed during bilateral stance only when subjects were not wearing textured insoles. There were no significant differences while subjects balanced in bilateral stance with textured insoles.Conclusions:Increased afferent information from textured insoles improves postural control in bilateral stance.


2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent M. Kelln ◽  
Patrick O. McKeon ◽  
Lauren M. Gontkof ◽  
Jay Hertel

Context:Hand-held dynamometry (HHD) has been shown to be a reliable, objective way to obtain strength measurements in elderly and physically impaired subjects.Objective:To estimate the intratester, intertester, and intersession reliability of HHD testing of lower extremity movements in young, healthy subjects.Design:Repeated measures.Setting:Sports medicine laboratory.Participants:Nine males and eleven females (Mean age = 26 years).Measurements:Strength measures of 11 right lower extremity movements were taken by 3 different testers on 2 separate days using a HHD.Results:Intratester ICC range was .77 to .97 with SEM range of .01 to .44 kg. Mean intertester ICC range was .65 to .87 with SEM range of .11 to 1.05 kg. Mean intersession ICC range was .62 to .92 with SEM range of .01 to .83 kg.Conclusions:HHD has the potential to be a reliable tool for strength measurements in healthy, strong subjects; however, there are noteworthy limitations with movements where subjects can overpower the testers.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Evan V. Papa ◽  
Rita M. Patterson ◽  
Nicoleta Bugnariu

BACKGROUND: Nearly half of persons with Parkinson disease (PD) report fatigue as a factor in their fall history. However, it is unknown whether these self-reported falls are caused by a sensation of fatigue or performance fatigue. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the influences of performance fatigue and age on postural control in persons with PD. METHODS: Individuals with PD (n = 14) underwent postural control assessments before (T0) and immediately after (T1) fatiguing exercise. Biomechanical data were gathered on participants completing a treadmill-induced, posterior-directed fall. Performance fatigue was produced using lower extremity resistance exercise on an isokinetic ergometer. Repeated measures ANCOVAs were used with age as a covariate to determine the effects of performance fatigue on biomechanical variables. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, there was a statistically significant difference in peak center of pressure (COP) latency during the support phase of recovery. Pairwise comparisons demonstrated a decrease in peak ankle displacement from T0 to T1. Age was also found to be significantly related to reaction time and peak knee displacement while participants were fatigued. CONCLUSIONS: The decreased peak COP latency, along with decreased ankle angular displacement, suggest that persons with PD adopt a stiffening strategy in response to backward directed falls. Postural stiffening is not uncommon in persons with PD and could be a risk factor for falls. Older individuals with PD demonstrate slower mobility scores and decreased reaction times in the setting of fatigue, suggesting a combined effect of the aging and fatigue processes.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246605
Author(s):  
Hwigeum Jeong ◽  
A. Wayne Johnson ◽  
J. Brent Feland ◽  
Spencer R. Petersen ◽  
Jared M. Staten ◽  
...  

Context Obesity is a growing global health concern. The increased body mass and altered mass distribution associated with obesity may be related to increases in plantar shear that putatively leads to physical functional deficits. Therefore, measurement of plantar shear may provide unique insights on the effects of body mass and body distribution on physical function or performance. Purpose 1) To investigate the effects of body mass and distribution on plantar shear. 2) To examine how altered plantar shear influences postural control and gait kinetics. Hypothesis 1) a weighted vest forward distributed (FV) would shift the center of pressure (CoP) location forward during standing compared with a weighted vest evenly distributed (EV), 2) FV would increase plantar shear spreading forces more than EV during standing, 3) FV would increase postural sway during standing while EV would not, and 4) FV would elicit greater compensatory changes during walking than EV. Methods Twenty healthy young males participated in four different tests: 1) static test (for measuring plantar shear and CoP location without acceleration, 2) bilateral-foot standing postural control test, 3) single-foot standing postural test, and 4) walking test. All tests were executed in three different weight conditions: 1) unweighted (NV), 2) EV with 20% added body mass, and 3) FV, also with 20% added body mass. Plantar shear stresses were measured using a pressure/shear device, and several shear and postural control metrics were extracted. Repeated measures ANOVAs with Holms post hoc test were used to compare each metric among the three conditions (α = 0.05). Results FV and EV increased both AP and ML plantar shear forces compared to NV. FV shifted CoP forward in single-foot trials. FV and EV showed decreased CoP range and velocity and increased Time-to-Boundary (TTB) during postural control compared to NV. EV and FV showed increased breaking impulse and propulsive impulse compared to NV. In addition, EV showed even greater impulses than FV. While EV increased ML plantar shear spreading force, FV increased AP plantar shear spreading force during walking. Conclusion Added body mass increases plantar shear spreading forces. Body mass distribution had greater effects during dynamic tasks. In addition, healthy young individuals seem to quickly adapt to external stimuli to control postural stability. However, as this is a first step study, follow-up studies are necessary to further support the clinical role of plantar shear in other populations such as elderly and individuals with obesity or diabetes.


Author(s):  
Elżbieta Piątek ◽  
Michał Kuczyński ◽  
Bożena Ostrowska

Due to balance deficits that accompany adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), the potential interaction between activities of daily living and active self-correction movements (ASC) on postural control deserves particular attention. Our purpose was to assess the effects of ASC movements with or without a secondary mental task on postural control in twenty-five girls with AIS. It is a quasi-experimental within-subject design with repeated measures ANOVA. They were measured in four 20-s quiet standing trials on a force plate: no task, ASC, Stroop test, and both. Based on the center-of-pressure (COP) recordings, the COP parameters were computed. The ASC alone had no effect on any of the postural sway measures. Stroop test alone decreased COP speed and increased COP entropy. Performing the ASC movements and Stroop test together increased the COP speed and decreased COP entropy as compared to the baseline data. In conclusion, our results indicate that AIS did not interfere with postural control. The effects of the Stroop test accounted for good capacity of subjects with AIS to take advantage of distracting attentional resources from the posture. However, performing both tasks together exhibited some deficits in postural control, which may suggest the need for therapeutic consultation while engaging in more demanding activities.


2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alecia Puls ◽  
Phillip Gribble

Context:Thera-Band™ (TB) exercises are commonly utilized in ankle rehabilitation, but previous studies have shown inconsistent results.Objective:To compare two TB protocols among healthy subjects in improving postural control.Design:Mixed model design.Setting:Research laboratory.Participants:Thirty healthy subjects divided into a control (CON), three times/week (TB3) or five times/week (TB5) group.Intervention:Training groups completed TB quick-kick protocols for six weeks either three (TB3) or five times (TB5) per week.Main Outcome Measure:Center of pressure velocity in the anterior/posterior (COPVX) and medial/lateral (COPVY) directions.Results:There were no differences related to Group or Side. COPVX in the eyes open (EO) condition increased pre-post. COPVY decreased pre-post.Conclusion:The lack of differences between Groups and Side indicates these specific TB training protocols did not impact static postural control differently among healthy subjects.


Author(s):  
Andrew D. Nordin ◽  
Joshua P. Bailey ◽  
Janet S. Dufek

The purpose of this examination was to explore the effects of stride length (SL) perturbations on walking gait, relative to preferred walking (PW) and running (PR), via lower extremity range of motion (ROM) variability. ROM variability at the hip, knee, and ankle joints, in the sagittal and frontal planes were used in evaluating motor control of gait, where increased gait variability has been previously implicated in fall susceptibly. Nine participants (5 male, 4 female; mean age 23.11±3.55 years, height 1.72±0.18m, mass 72.66±14.37kg) free from previous lower extremity injury were examined. Kinematic data were acquired using a 12-camera system (Vicon MX T40-S; 200Hz). Data filtering and interpolation included a low pass, 4th order, Butterworth filter (15Hz cutoff) and cubic spline. Five gait trials were completed for PW and PR, with subsequent SL manipulations computed as a percentage of leg length (LL). SL perturbations included 60%, 80%, 100%, 120%, and 140% of LL. Kinematic analysis involved one stride (two steps) during each gait trial, assessing ROM at the hip, knee, and ankle from heel contact to toe-off for each limb, in the sagittal and frontal planes. Variability was expressed using coefficient of variation (%). Comparisons were made using 3×7 (joint × stride condition) mixed model ANOVAs, with repeated measures on stride condition (α = 0.05), using SPSS 20.0. Differences in lower extremity ROM variability were detected among stride conditions in the frontal and sagittal planes (F[3.185,76.451] = 3.004, p = .033; F[4.595,110.279] = 2.834, p = .022, respectively). Greater ROM variability was observed at, and in excess of SLs of 100%LL relative to PW in the frontal plane (PW: 9.2±4.2%; 100%LL: 11.8±3.6%, p = .014; 120%LL: 13.5±5.8%, p = .046; 140%LL: 13.8±6.5%, p = .016), and between SLs of 80%LL and 120%LL in the sagittal plane (4.9±3.0%; 7.8±4.7%, p = .046, respectively). From this, PW appeared to occur within SLs of 60%LL to 80%LL, while SLs exceeding 100%LL resulted in increased lower extremity ROM variability. This may have consequences for fall susceptibility at increased stride lengths during walking. PR did not reveal significant variability differences (p>.05) compared to walking conditions in either the sagittal or frontal plane (7.5±5.0%; 12.8±7.7%, respectively), suggesting that running represents a separate, but stable gait pattern. In the sagittal plane, ROM variability was significantly lower at the hip (3.9±1.5%), relative to the ankle (8.4±1.6%, p<.001) and knee joints (7.4±2.6%, p = .001), suggesting that gait control may be more active at the ankle and knee joints. Future investigations should examine kinetic changes in gait when altering stride length.


2012 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 960-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura L. Gingrich ◽  
Julie A. G. Stierwalt ◽  
Carlin F. Hageman ◽  
Leonard L. LaPointe

Purpose In the present study, the authors investigated lingual propulsive pressures generated in the normal swallow by the anterior and posterior lingual segments for various consistencies and maximum isometric tasks. Method Lingual pressures for saliva, thin, and honey-thick liquid boluses were measured via the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI Medical, Carnation, WA) at both anteromedian and posteromedian lingual segments of 62 healthy participants, ages 18–34 years (30 men, 32 women). Results A repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed that all lingual swallowing pressures were significantly greater at the anteromedian segment than at the posteromedian segment. Gender was not a significant factor; however, women exhibited greater swallowing pressures across all conditions. Lingual pressures increased as bolus viscosity increased. No significant interactions existed. Analysis of a subset of 30 participants revealed that men exhibited greater maximal isometric pressure at the anteromedian segment than women, with no significant gender difference at the posteromedian segment. A significantly higher percentage of maximum isometric tongue pressure was exerted by the posteromedian tongue than by the anteromedian tongue. Conclusion Findings suggest that greater amplitudes of lingual pressures are generated during normal swallowing at the anteromedian lingual segment; however, a greater percentage of maximum isometric tongue pressure was exerted by the posteromedian lingual segment, suggesting increased effort by the posterior tongue during bolus propulsion.


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