scholarly journals Postural Stability in Athletes during Special Hurdle Tests without a Definite Dominant Leg

Author(s):  
Bożena Wojciechowska-Maszkowska ◽  
Ryszard Marcinów ◽  
Janusz Iskra ◽  
Rafał Tataruch

The purpose of this study was to analyze the body balance control of people walking and hurdling with or without a specific dominant leg in a monopodal position. This study involved 28 physical education students. The center of pressure (COP) was measured with a force plate under four conditions: single-leg standing (right and left) with eyes open and two upper limb positions (the arms were positioned in either a specific hurdle technique manner or alongside the body). A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted separately for five parameters of the COP in the medial-lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) directions under the four conditions. In the single-leg position, athletes without a dominant lower leg had better body balance than those with a dominant lower leg. The position of the upper limbs influenced the body position when hurdling. Accepting the correct position of the upper limbs helped to maintain balance (when overcoming hurdles). In hurdles, the position of the upper limbs should be improved to maintain postural stability and save this function for more demanding postural tasks.

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-57
Author(s):  
Michał Kuszewski ◽  
Rafał Gnat ◽  
Grzegorz Sobota ◽  
Andrzej Myśliwiec

Abstract The aim of the study was to explore whether passive stiffness of the hamstrings influences the strategy of maintaining postural stability. A sample of 50 subjects was selected; the final analyses were based on data of 41 individuals (33 men, 8 women) aged 21 to 29 (mean = 23.3, SD = 1.1) years. A quasi- experimental ex post facto design with repeated measures was used. Categories of independent variables were obtained directly prior to the measurement of the dependent variables. In stage one of the study, passive knee extension was measured in the supine position to assess hamstring stiffness. In stage two, the magnitude of postural sway in antero-posterior direction was measured, while varying the body position on a stabilometric platform, both with and without visual control. The margin of safety was used as a measure of postural control. The magnitude of the margin of safety increased significantly between the open-eye and closed-eye trials. However, although we registered a visible tendency for a larger increase of the margin of safety associated with lower levels of passive hamstrings stiffness, no significant differences were found. Therefore, this study demonstrated that hamstring stiffness did not influence the strategy used to maintain postural stability.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (01) ◽  
pp. 1850014
Author(s):  
Chu-Fen Chang ◽  
Hui-Ji Fan ◽  
Hung-Bin Chen ◽  
Houu-Wooi Lim ◽  
Hsiao-Yuan Lee ◽  
...  

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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-178
Author(s):  
Kelly M. Meiners ◽  
Janice K. Loudon

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.


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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 228-234
Author(s):  
Ziva M. Rosker ◽  
Jernej Rosker ◽  
Nejc Sarabon

Reports on body sway control following microdiscectomy lack reports on side-specific balance deficits as well as the effects of trunk balance control deficits on body sway during upright stances. About 3 weeks post microdiscectomy, the body sway of 27 patients and 25 controls was measured while standing in an upright quiet stance with feet positioned parallel on an unstable support surface, a tandem stance with the involved leg positioned in front or at the back, a single-leg stance with both legs, and sitting on an unstable surface. Velocity, average amplitude, and frequency-direction–specific parameters were analyzed from the center of pressure movement, measured by the force plate. Statistically significant differences between the 2 groups were observed for the medial–lateral body sway frequency in parallel stance on a stable and unstable support surface and for the sitting balance task in medial-lateral body sway parameters. Medium to high correlations were observed between body sway during sitting and the parallel stance, as well as between the tandem and single-legged stances. Following microdiscectomy, deficits in postural balance were side specific, as expected by the nature of the pathology. In addition, the results of this study confirmed the connection between proximal balance control deficits and balance during upright quiet balance tasks.


2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 754-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri P. Ivanenko ◽  
Nadia Dominici ◽  
Germana Cappellini ◽  
Francesco Lacquaniti

When a toddler starts to walk without support, gait kinematics and electromyographic (EMG) activity differ from those of older children and the body displays considerable oscillations due to poor equilibrium. Postural instability clearly affects motor patterns in adults, but does instability explain why toddlers walk with a different gait? Here we addressed this question by comparing kinematics and EMGs in toddlers performing their first independent steps with or without hand or trunk support. Hand support significantly improved postural stability and some general gait parameters, reducing percent of falls, step width, lateral hip deviations and trunk oscillations. However, the kinematic and EMG patterns were unaffected by increased postural stability. In particular, the co-variance of the angular motion of the lower limb segments, the pattern of bilateral coordination of the vertical movement of the two hip joints, high variability of the foot path, the elliptic or single peak trajectory of the foot in the swing phase, and characteristic EMG bursts at foot contact remained idiosyncratic of toddler locomotion. Instead the toddler pattern shared fundamental features with adult stepping in place, suggesting that toddlers implement a mixed locomotor strategy, combining forward progression with elements of stepping in place. Furthermore, gait kinematics remained basically unchanged until the occurrence of the first unsupported steps and rapidly matured thereafter. We conclude that idiosyncratic features in newly walking toddlers do not simply result from undeveloped balance control but may represent an innate kinematic template of stepping.


2004 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren C. Olmsted ◽  
Jay Hertel

Context:The effects of custom-molded foot orthotics on neuromuscular processes are not clearly understood.Objective:To examine these effects on postural control in subjects with different foot types.Design:Between-groups, repeated-measures design.Setting:Athletic training laboratory.Subjects:30 healthy subjects assigned to groups by foot type: planus (n = 11), rectus (n = 12), or cavus (n = 7).Interventions:Custom-fit semirigid orthotics.Main Outcome Measures:Static postural control was measured on a force plate. Dynamic postural control was measured using the Star Excursion Balance Test. Both measurements were assessed with and without orthotics at baseline and 2 weeks later.Results:For static postural control, a significant condition-by-group interaction was found. Subjects with cavus feet had a decreased center-of-pressure velocity while wearing orthotics. For dynamic postural control, a significant condition-by-direction-by-group interaction was found. Subjects with cavus feet had increased reach distances in 3 of 8 directions while wearing orthotics.Conclusions:Custom orthotics were associated with some improvements in static and dynamic postural control in subjects with cavus feet.


Scientifica ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Talebi ◽  
Mohammad Taghi Karimi ◽  
Seyed Hamid Reza Abtahi ◽  
Niloofar Fereshtenejad

Aims. Vestibular system is indicated as one of the most important sensors responsible for static and dynamic postural control. In this study, we evaluated static balance in patients with unilateral vestibular impairments.Materials and Methods. We compared static balance control using Kistler force plate platform between 10 patients with unilateral vestibular impairments and 20 normal counterparts in the same sex ratio and age limits (50±7). We evaluated excursion and velocity of center of pressure (COP) and path length in anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) planes with eyes open and with eyes closed.Results. There was no significant difference between COP excursions in ML and AP planes between both groups with eyes open and eyes closed (pvalue > 0.05). In contrast, the difference between velocity and path length of COP in the mentioned planes was significant between both groups with eyes open and eyes closed (pvalue < 0.05).Conclusions. The present study showed the static instability and balance of patients with vestibular impairments indicated by the abnormal characteristics of body balance.


2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 38-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Bateni ◽  
Gina Leno ◽  
Rebeca Manjarres ◽  
Bailey Ouellette ◽  
Mark Wolber

Context:Previous research has demonstrated that localized leg muscle fatigue induced by lower extremity exercises (e.g., squat jumps, sprints, and treadmill running) has an adverse effect on postural stability.Objective:To assess the effect of cardiovascular fatigue induced by upper extremity exercise on postural stability.Design:Repeated measures.Participants:Fourteen healthy young adults between the ages of 22 and 30 years (7 male and 7 female).Intervention:Participants performed an exercise protocol on an upper-body ergometer to induce cardiovascular fatigue.Main Outcome Measures:Postural sway, represented by center of pressure excursion, during bilateral standing in two different foot positions.Results:In a tandem standing position, mediolateral mean distance, root mean square distance, resultant power, and centroidal frequency increased signifcantly after inducement of cardiovascular fatigue.Conclusion:Cardiovascular fatigue adversely affects postural stability.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 418-427
Author(s):  
Yücel Makaracı ◽  
Recep Soslu ◽  
Ömer Özer ◽  
Abdullah Uysal

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.


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