scholarly journals Mental body rotation with egocentric and object-based transformations in different postures: standing vs. balancing

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 180-194
Author(s):  
Kirsten Budde ◽  
Thomas Jöllenbeck ◽  
José A. Barela ◽  
Gabriella A. Figueiredo ◽  
Matthias Weigelt
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Stability ◽  
Postural Sway ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Body Sway ◽  
Body Rotation ◽  
Balance Beam ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Object Based ◽  
Effects Of Rotation

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest better visual-spatial processing when participants are tested in postures in which dynamic stability is challenged. The question arises if this is also true for the performance in mental body-rotation tasks (MBRT). AIM: Taking the embodied cognition approach into account, the first aim of the present study was to examine the potential influence of different demands on dynamic stability for two postures (parallel stand vs. tandem stand) on solving two versions of the MBRT, inducing either an object-based or an egocentric perspective transformation strategy. The second aim was to investigate if these different demands on dynamic stability are reflected in postural sway parameters. METHOD: Thirty participants (18 females and 12 males) were tested in the two MBRTs and in a control condition. All tasks were performed while standing on a balance beam in tandem stand and in a feet parallel position on a force plate. RESULTS: The results for response time and response error revealed effects of rotation angle and task, but no effect of posture. The analyzed Center of Pressure (CoP) data revealed a reduction of body sway during the MBRT for egocentric perspective transformations. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that participants performed better for egocentric than for object-based transformations and that the egocentric transformation leads to more postural stability than the object-based.

Postural sway with earth-fixed and body-referenced finger contact in young and older adults

1999 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-109
Author(s):  
Reginald L. Reginella ◽  
Mark S. Redfern ◽  
Joseph M. Furman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Postural Sway ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Body Sway ◽  
Support Surface ◽  
Proprioceptive Information ◽  
Postural Control System ◽  
Fixed Reference ◽  
Older Subjects

Sensory information from lightly touching a reference with the hand is known to influence postural sway in young adults. The primary aim of this study was to compare the influence of finger contact (FC) with an earth-fixed reference to the influence of FC with a body-fixed reference. A second goal of this study was to determine if FC is used differently by older adults compared to younger adults. Using a force plate, center of pressure at the feet was recorded from blindfolded young and older subjects during several conditions. Subjects either did or did not lightly touch a force-sensitive plate that was either earth-fixed or moved forward and backward in synchrony with body sway (that is, sway-referenced). In addition, support surface conditions were also varied, including a fixed floor and a sway-referenced floor using an EquitestTM. Results showed that the type of FC, floor condition, and age each had an effect on postural sway. Touching an earth-fixed plate decreased postural sway as compared to no touching, while touching a sway-referenced plate incresased sway. This influence of FC was enhanced when the floor was sway-referenced. Although older subjects swayed more than young subjects overall, no age-FC interactions occurred, indicating that FC was not utilized differently between the age groups. This study suggests that FC cannot be disregarded as erroneous, especially when proprioceptive information from the legs is distorted. Further, FC is integrated with other sensory information by the postural control system similarly in young and older persons.

Dynamic and Static Assessment of Single-Leg Postural Control in Female Soccer Players

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-178
Author(s):  
Kelly M. Meiners ◽  
Janice K. Loudon
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Postural Sway ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Balance Test ◽  
Left Lower Extremity ◽  
Static Assessment ◽  
Dynamic Postural Stability

Purpose/Background: Various methods are available for assessment of static and dynamic postural stability. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between dynamic postural stability as measured by the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) and static postural sway assessment as measured by the TechnoBody™ Pro-Kin in female soccer players. A secondary purpose was to determine side-to-side symmetry in this cohort. Methods: A total of 18 female soccer players completed testing on the SEBT and Technobody™ Pro-Kin balance device. Outcome measures were anterior, posterior medial, and posterior lateral reaches from the SEBT and center of pressure in the x- and y-axes as well as SD of movement in the forward/backward and medial/lateral directions from the force plate on left and right legs. Bivariate correlations were determined between the 8 measures. In addition, paired Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were performed to determine similarity between limb scores. Results: All measures on both the SEBT and postural sway assessment were significantly correlated when comparing dominant with nondominant lower-extremities with the exception of SD of movement in both x- and y-axes. When correlating results of the SEBT with postural sway assessment, a significant correlation was found between the SEBT right lower-extremity posterior lateral reach (r = .567, P < .05) and summed SEBT (r = .486, P < .05) and the center of pressure in the y-axis. A significant correlation was also found on the left lower-extremity, with SD of forward/backward movement and SEBT posterior medial reach (r = −.511, P < .05). Conclusions: Dynamic postural tests and static postural tests provide different information to the overall assessment of balance in female soccer players. Relationship between variables differed based on the subject’s lower-extremity dominance.

scholarly journals Effect of Eye-Object Distance on Body Sway during Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Aoki ◽  
Yoshitaka Otani ◽  
Shinichiro Morishita
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Distance Effect ◽  
Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Body Sway ◽  
Mean Square ◽  
Visual Condition ◽  
Object Distance

Gazing at objects at a near distance (small eye-object distance) can reduce body sway. However, whether body sway is regulated by movement in the mediolateral or anteroposterior direction remains unclear. Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) can induce body tilting in the mediolateral or anteroposterior direction. This study examined the directionality of the eye-object distance effect, using body-tilting GVS manipulations. Ten healthy subjects (aged 21.1 ± 0.3 years) stood on a force plate covered with a piece of foamed rubber and either closed their eyes or gazed at a marker located 0.5 m, 1.0 m, or 1.5 m in front of them. The GVS polarities were set to evoke rightward, forward, and backward body tilts. To compare the effects of eye-object distance in the mediolateral and anteroposterior directions, the root mean square (RMS) of the center of pressure (COP) without GVS was subtracted from the COP RMS during GVS. For swaying in the mediolateral direction, significant visual condition-related differences were found during rightward and forward GVS (p < 0.05). Thus, reductions in mediolateral body sway are more evident for smaller eye-object distances during rightward GVS. It would be appropriate to use body-tilting GVS to detect the directionality of the eye-object distance effect.

Validation of a Portable Force Plate for Evaluating Postural Sway

2020 ◽  
pp. 003151252094509
Author(s):  
Mark Walsh ◽  
Caroline Church ◽  
Audrey Hoffmeister ◽  
Dean Smith ◽  
Joshua Haworth
Keyword(s):  
Postural Sway ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Disease Status ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Sport Training ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Ground Plate ◽  
Absolute Agreement

Measurements of postural sway are used to assess physiological changes due to therapy or sport training, or to describe group differences based on activity history or disease status. Portable force plates have been widely adopted for this purpose, leading us in this study to validate with linear and nonlinear metrics the posturographic data derived from both a portable plate (Natus) when compared to an in-ground plate (Bertec). Twenty participants stood on each plate for two trials each, with and without a foam perturbation and with and without eyes open on each surface. We calculated measures of path length, range, root mean squares, sample entropy, and correlation dimensions from center of pressure traces on each plate. An intraclass correlation coefficient across trials from each plate in each condition indicated satisfactory overall reliability (ICC consistency), supporting the use of either plate for postural sway research and interventions. Additionally, our results generally supported common validity (ICC absolute agreement), though, the specific degree of similarity differed for each of the tested metrics of postural sway, especially when considering whether or not data was filtered. For situations in which participants cannot visit a laboratory (e.g. performing athletes, community dwelling clinical patients, and virus risk concerns) an in-home portable force plate is a trusted and valuable data collection tool.

scholarly journals The Effects of Active Self-Correction on Postural Control in Girls with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: The Role of an Additional Mental Task

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elżbieta Piątek ◽  
Michał Kuczyński ◽  
Bożena Ostrowska
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis ◽  
Idiopathic Scoliosis ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Postural Sway ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Stroop Test ◽  
Quiet Standing ◽  
Mental Task

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.

scholarly journals Effects of light touch on balance in patients with stroke

Open Medicine ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 259-263
Author(s):  
Tae-sung In ◽  
Jin-Hwa Jung ◽  
Sang-hun Jang ◽  
Kyung-hun Kim ◽  
Kyoung-sim Jung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Postural Sway ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Support Surface ◽  
Light Touch ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Surface Conditions ◽  
Hemiparetic Stroke

AbstractLight touch is the combination of cutaneous and kinesthetic inputs. The literature suggests that light touch compensates for a reduced amount of center of pressure information in older peoples, blind subjects and patients with neurological disorder. This study investigated the effects of light touch applied to an external bar, on the postural sway in individuals with hemiparetic stroke. We used a cross sectional study, fifteen individuals with stroke and 15 healthy age-matched adults stood as still as possible on a force plate. Experimental trials (duration, 30 s) included two visual conditions (open eyes and closed eyes), two somatosensory conditions (no touch and light touch) and two support surface conditions (firm and foam surfaces). The area of center of pressure (COP) and the mean velocity of COP in the medio-lateral and anterior-posterior directions were assessed. For both groups, COP velocity and area decreased with light touch regardless of the visual or surface conditions. The effects of light touch were similar in both groups. In addition, results show that the effectiveness of light touch in reducing postural sway was greater on a foam surface than on a firm surface. Our findings indicate that light touch could be beneficial in postural control for individuals with hemi-paretic stroke

scholarly journals Center of pressure-based postural sway differences on parallel and single leg stance in Olympic deaf basketball and volleyball players

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 418-427
Author(s):  
Yücel Makaracı ◽  
Recep Soslu ◽  
Ömer Özer ◽  
Abdullah Uysal
Keyword(s):  
Postural Control ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Postural Sway ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Basketball Players ◽  
Male Athletes ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Single Leg Stance ◽  
Volleyball Players

In sports such as basketball and volleyball, loss of balance due to the inability to maintain body stability and lack of postural control adversely affect athletic performance. Deaf athletes appear to struggle with balance and postural stability problems. The purpose of this study was to examine postural sway values in parallel and single leg stance of Olympic deaf basketball and volleyball players and reveal differences between the branches. Twenty-three male athletes from the Turkish national deaf basketball (n= 11) and volleyball (n= 12) teams participated in the study. After anthropometric measurements, the subjects completed postural sway (PS) tests in parallel/single leg stances with open eyes and closed eyes on a force plate. PS parameters (sway path, velocity, and area) obtained from the device software were used for the statistical analysis. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare differences in PS parameters between basketball and volleyball players, and the alpha value was accepted as 0.05. Volleyball players had significantly better results in parallel stance and dominant leg PS values than basketball players (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups in nondominant leg PS values (P>0.05). We think that proprioceptive and vestibular system enhancing training practices to be performed with stability exercises will be beneficial in terms of both promoting functional stability and interlimb coordination. Trainers and strength coaches should be aware of differences in the postural control mechanism of deaf athletes.

scholarly journals Postural and Head Control Given Different Environmental Contexts

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anat V. Lubetzky ◽  
Jennifer L. Kelly ◽  
Bryan D. Hujsak ◽  
Jenny Liu ◽  
Daphna Harel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Postural Control ◽  
Postural Sway ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Head Kinematics ◽  
City Environment ◽  
Head Mounted Displays ◽  
Control Balance ◽  
The City

Virtual reality allows for testing of multisensory integration for balance using portable Head Mounted Displays (HMDs). HMDs provide head kinematics data while showing a moving scene when participants are not. Are HMDs useful to investigate postural control? We used an HMD to investigate postural sway and head kinematics changes in response to auditory and visual perturbations and whether this response varies by context. We tested 25 healthy adults, and a small sample of people with diverse monaural hearing (n = 7), or unilateral vestibular dysfunction (n = 7). Participants stood naturally on a stable force-plate and looked at 2 environments via the Oculus Rift (abstract “stars;” busy “street”) with 3 visual and auditory levels (static, “low,” “high”). We quantified medio-lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) postural sway path from the center-of-pressure data and ML, AP, pitch, yaw and roll head path from the headset. We found no difference between the different combinations of “low” and “high” visuals and sounds. We then combined all perturbations data into “dynamic” and compared it to the static level. The increase in path between “static” and “dynamic” was significantly larger in the city environment for: Postural sway ML, Head ML, AP, pitch and roll. The majority of the vestibular group moved more than controls, particularly around the head, when the scenes, especially the city, were dynamic. Several patients with monaural hearing performed similar to controls whereas others, particularly older participants, performed worse. In conclusion, responses to sensory perturbations are magnified around the head. Significant differences in performance between environments support the importance of context in sensory integration. Future studies should further investigate the sensitivity of head kinematics to diagnose vestibular disorders and the implications of aging with hearing loss to postural control. Balance assessment and rehabilitation should be conducted in different environmental contexts.

Position and Velocity Coupling of Postural Sway to Somatosensory Drive

1998 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 1661-1674 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Jeka ◽  
Kelvin Oie ◽  
Gregor Schöner ◽  
Tjeerd Dijkstra ◽  
Elaine Henson
Keyword(s):  
Contact Surface ◽  
Postural Sway ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
Somatosensory System ◽  
Moving Frame ◽  
Body Sway ◽  
Driving Frequency ◽  
Moving Contact ◽  
Spatial Reference Frame

Jeka, John, Kelvin Oie, Gregor Schöner, Tjeerd Dijkstra, and Elaine Henson. Position and velocity coupling of postural sway to somatosensory drive. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 1661–1674, 1998. Light touch contact of a fingertip to a stationary surface provides orientation information that enhances control of upright stance. Slight changes in contact force at the fingertip lead to sensory cues about the direction of body sway, allowing attenuation of sway. In the present study, the coupling of postural sway to a moving contact surface was investigated in detail. Head, center of mass, and center of pressure displacement were measured as the contact surface moved rhythmically at 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 Hz. Stimulus amplitude decreased with frequency to maintain peak velocity constant across frequency. Head and body sway were highly coherent with contact surface motion at all frequencies except 0.8 Hz, where a drop-off in coherence was observed. Mean frequency of head and body sway matched the driving frequency ≤0.4 Hz. At higher frequencies, non-1:1 coupling was evident. The phase of body sway relative to the touch plate averaged 20–30° at 0.1-Hz drive and decreased approximately linearly to −130° at 0.8-Hz drive. System gain was ∼1 across frequency. The large phase lags observed cannot be accounted for with velocity coupling alone but indicate that body sway also was coupled to the position of the touch plate. Fitting of a linear second-order model to the data suggests that postural control parameters are not fixed but adapt to the moving frame of reference. Moreover, coupling to both position and velocity suggest that a spatial reference frame is defined by the somatosensory system.

Comparative Effects of Tensioning and Sliding Neural Mobilization on Static Postural Control and Lower Limb Hop Testing in Football Players

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 840-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Ferreira ◽  
André Bebiano ◽  
Daniel Raro ◽  
João Martins ◽  
Anabela G. Silva
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Functional Performance ◽  
Postural Sway ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Normal Function ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Hop Test

Context: Sliding and tensioning neural mobilization are used to restore normal function of the nervous system, but they impose different stresses on it. Particularly, sliding induces greater nerve excursion than tensioning. Conceivably, they might impact nervous system function differently. Objective: To compare the effects of tensioning neural mobilization versus sliding neural mobilization of the dominant lower limb on static postural control and hop testing. Design: Randomized, parallel and double blinded trial. Setting/Participants: Thirty-seven football players. Intervention(s): Participants were randomized into 2 groups: sliding neural mobilization (n = 18) or tensioning neural mobilization (n = 19) targeting the tibial nerve. Main Outcome Measures: Static postural sway was assessed with a force plate and functional performance with hop tests. Measurements were taken at baseline, after the intervention, and at 30-minute follow-up. Results: There was a significant effect of time for the center of pressure total displacement and velocity (P < .05), for the single-leg hop test (P < .05), the 6-m timed hop test (P < .05), and the cross-over hop test (P < .05), but no significant effect of the intervention. Conclusions: Sliding and tensioning neural mobilization improved postural control and hop testing in football players, and improvements remained 30 minutes after the intervention. Additional research examining the influence of neural mobilization on sensory motor impairments, postural control, and functional performance is needed.

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