scholarly journals Dynamic Balance Measurement and Quantitative Assessment Using Wearable Plantar-Pressure Insoles in a Pose-Sensed Virtual Environment

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 4193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cunguang Lou ◽  
Chenyao Pang ◽  
Congrui Jing ◽  
Shuo Wang ◽  
Xufeng He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plantar Pressure ◽  
Evaluation System ◽  
Balance Control ◽  
Dynamic Balance ◽  
Sports Injury ◽  
The Body ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Body Sway ◽  
Kinect Sensor ◽  
Sit To Stand

The center of plantar pressure (COP) reflects the dynamic balance of subjects to a certain extent. In this study, wearable pressure insoles are designed, body pose measure is detected by the Kinect sensor, and a balance evaluation system is formulated. With the designed games for the interactive actions, the Kinect sensor reads the skeletal poses to judge whether the desired action is performed, and the pressure insoles simultaneously collect the plantar pressure data. The COP displacement and its speed are calculated to determine the body sway and the ability of balance control. Significant differences in the dispersion of the COP distribution of the 12 subjects have been obtained, indicating different balancing abilities of the examined subjects. A novel assessment process is also proposed in the paper, in which a correlation analysis is made between the de facto sit-to-stand (STS) test and the proposed method; the Pearson and Spearman correlations are also conducted, which reveal a significant positive correlation. Finally, four undergraduate volunteers with a right leg sports injury participate in the experiments. The experimental results show that the normal side and abnormal side have significantly different characters, suggesting that our method is effective and robust for balance measurements.

scholarly journals Effects of offloading devices on static and dynamic balance in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy: A systematic review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koen Andre Horstink ◽  
Lucas Henricus Vincentius van der Woude ◽  
Juha Markus Hijmans
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Peripheral Neuropathy ◽  
Plantar Pressure ◽  
Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy ◽  
Balance Control ◽  
Dynamic Balance ◽  
Movement Control ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Static Balance ◽  
Somatosensory Information

AbstractPatients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) usually have reduced somatosensory information and altered perception in feet and ankles. Somatosensory information acts as feedback for movement control and loss of somatosensation leads to altered plantar pressure patterns during gait and stance. Offloading devices are used to reduce peak plantar pressure and prevent diabetic foot ulcers. However, offloading devices can unfortunately have negative effects on static and dynamic balance. It is important to investigate these unwanted effects, since patient with DPN already are at high risk of falling and offloading devices could potentially increase this risk. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the effects of plantar offloading devices used for ulcer prevention on their role in static and dynamic balance control in patients with DPN. PubMed and Embase were systematically searched using relevant search terms. After title selection, abstract selection, and full-text selection only five articles could be included for further analysis. Two articles included static balance measurements, two articles included dynamic balance measurements, and one article included both. Results suggested that static balance control is reduced when rocker bottom shoes and different insole configurations are used, however, toe-only rockers showed less evidence for reduced static balance control. There was no evidence for reduced dynamic balance control in combination with offloading devices. However, these results should be interpreted with care, since the number of studies was very small and the quality of the studies was moderate. Future research should evaluate balance in combination with different offloading devices, so that clinicians subscribing them are more aware of their potential unwanted consequences.

Impairments of Postural Balance in Surgically Treated Lumbar Disc Herniation Patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 228-234
Author(s):  
Ziva M. Rosker ◽  
Jernej Rosker ◽  
Nejc Sarabon
Keyword(s):  
Postural Balance ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Balance Control ◽  
The Body ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Body Sway ◽  
Support Surface ◽  
Balance Task ◽  
Lateral Body ◽  
Unstable Support

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.

scholarly journals Somatosensory control of balance during locomotion in decerebrated cat

2012 ◽  
Vol 107 (8) ◽  
pp. 2072-2082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Musienko ◽  
Gregoire Courtine ◽  
Jameson E. Tibbs ◽  
Vyacheslav Kilimnik ◽  
Alexandr Savochin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Brain Stem ◽  
Spinal Cord Stimulation ◽  
Balance Control ◽  
Dynamic Balance ◽  
Weight Bearing ◽  
The Body ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Somatosensory Information ◽  
The Brain

Postmammillary decerebrated cats can generate stepping on a moving treadmill belt when the brain stem or spinal cord is stimulated tonically and the hindquarters are supported both vertically and laterally. While adequate propulsion seems to be generated by the hindlimbs under these conditions, the ability to sustain equilibrium during locomotion has not been examined extensively. We found that tonic epidural spinal cord stimulation (5 Hz at L5) of decerebrated cats initiated and sustained unrestrained weight-bearing hindlimb stepping for extended periods. Detailed analyses of the relationships among hindlimb muscle EMG activity and trunk and limb kinematics and kinetics indicated that the motor circuitries in decerebrated cats actively maintain equilibrium during walking, similar to that observed in intact animals. Because of the suppression of vestibular, visual, and head-neck-trunk sensory input, balance-related adjustments relied entirely on the integration of somatosensory information arising from the moving hindquarters. In addition to dynamic balance control during unperturbed locomotion, sustained stepping could be reestablished rapidly after a collapse or stumble when the hindquarters switched from a restrained to an unrestrained condition. Deflecting the body by pulling the tail laterally induced adaptive modulations in the EMG activity, step cycle features, and left-right ground reaction forces that were sufficient to maintain lateral stability. Thus the brain stem-spinal cord circuitry of decerebrated cats in response to tonic spinal cord stimulation can control dynamic balance during locomotion using only somatosensory input.

scholarly journals Development of the Relationships Among Dynamic Balance Control, Inter-limb Coordination, and Torso Coordination During Gait in Children Aged 3–10 Years

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroki Mani ◽  
Saori Miyagishima ◽  
Naoki Kozuka ◽  
Takahiro Inoue ◽  
Naoya Hasegawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Balance Control ◽  
Dynamic Balance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Abnormal Development ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Phase Pattern ◽  
Upper Arm ◽  
Limb Coordination

Knowledge about the developmental process of dynamic balance control comprised of upper arms and upper legs coordination and trunk and pelvis twist coordination is important to advance effective balance assessment for abnormal development. However, the mechanisms of these coordination and stability control during gait in childhood are unknown.This study examined the development of dynamic postural stability, upper arm and upper leg coordination, and trunk and pelvic twist coordination during gait, and investigated the potential mechanisms integrating the central nervous system with inter-limb coordination and trunk and pelvic twist coordination to control extrapolated center of the body mass (XCOM). This study included 77 healthy children aged 3–10 years and 15 young adults. The child cohort was divided into four groups by age: 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, and 9–10 years. Participants walked barefoot at a self-selected walking speed along an 8 m walkway. A three-dimensional motion capture system was used for calculating the XCOM, the spatial margin of stability (MoS), and phase coupling movements of the upper arms, upper legs, trunk, and pelvic segments. MoS in the mediolateral axis was significantly higher in the young adults than in all children groups. Contralateral coordination (ipsilateral upper arm and contralateral upper leg combination) gradually changed to an in-phase pattern with increasing age until age 9 years. Significant correlations of XCOMML with contralateral coordination and with trunk and pelvic twist coordination (trunk/pelvis coordination) were found. Significant correlations between contralateral coordination and trunk/pelvis coordination were observed only in the 5–6 years and at 7–8 years groups.Dynamic postural stability during gait was not fully mature at age 10. XCOM control is associated with the development of contralateral coordination and trunk and pelvic twist coordination. The closer to in-phase pattern of contralateral upper limb coordination improved the XCOM fluctuations. Conversely, the out-of-phase pattern (about 90 degrees) of the trunk/pelvis coordination increased theXCOM fluctuation. Additionally, a different control strategy was used among children 3–8 years of age and individuals over 9 years of age, which suggests that 3–4-year-old children showed a disorderly coordination strategy between limb swing and torso movement, and in children 5–8 years of age, limb swing depended on trunk/pelvis coordination.

Static and Dynamic Balance Control in Older Golfers

2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
William W.N. Tsang ◽  
Christina W.Y. Hui-Chan
Keyword(s):  
Balance Control ◽  
Dynamic Balance ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Body Sway ◽  
Single Leg Stance ◽  
Weight Shift

Purpose:To determine whether older golfers have better static and dynamic balance control than older but nongolfing healthy adults.Methods:Eleven golfers and 12 control participants (all male; 66.2 ± 6.8 and 71.3 ± 6.6 yr old, respectively) were recruited. Duration of static single-leg stance was timed. Control of body sway was assessed in single-leg stance during forward and backward platform perturbations. The lunge distance normalized with respect to each participant’s height was used to compare the 2 groups in a forward-lunge test.Results:Golfers maintained significantly longer duration in static single-leg stance. They achieved less anteroposterior body sway in perturbed single-leg stance and lunged significantly farther than did control participants.Conclusions:The better static and dynamic balance control exhibited by older golfers possibly reflects the effects of weight transfers from repeated golf swings during weight shift from 2-leg to predominantly 1-leg stance and from walking on uneven fairways.

scholarly journals Postural Responses Evoked by Platform Pertubations Are Dominated by Continuous Feedback

2007 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. 730-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herman van der Kooij ◽  
Erwin de Vlugt
Keyword(s):  
Balance Control ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Sway ◽  
Intermittent Control ◽  
Feedback Mechanisms ◽  
Ankle Torque ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Postural Responses ◽  
Continuous Feedback ◽  
Time Invariant

Is human balance control dominated by time invariant continuous feedback mechanisms or do noncontinuous mechanisms play a significant role like intermittent control? The goal of this paper is to quantify how much of the postural responses evoked by pseudorandom external periodic perturbations can be explained by continuous time invariant feedback control. Nine healthy subjects participated in this study. Center of mass and ankle torque responses were elicited by periodic platform perturbations in forward-backward directions containing energy in the 0.06- to 4.5-Hz frequency band. Subjects had their eyes open (EO) or eyes closed (EC). Responses were decomposed into a periodic component and a remnant (stochastic) component using spectral analysis. It is concluded that periodic responses can explain most of the evoked responses, although the remnant power spectral densities (PSDs) were significant especially for slow responses (<0.2 Hz) and largest for EC. The found remnant PSD did depend on the sensory condition but not on the platform perturbation amplitude. The ratio of the body sway and ankle torque remnant PSD reflects the body dynamics. Both findings are consistent with the idea that estimation of body orientation is part of a continuous feedback loop and that (stochastic) estimation errors increase when one source of sensory information is removed. The findings are not consistent with the idea that discrete or discontinuous intermittent feedback mechanisms significantly shape postural responses.

scholarly journals Use of galvanic vestibular feedback to control postural orientation in decerebrate rabbits

2012 ◽  
Vol 107 (11) ◽  
pp. 3020-3026 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. V. Zelenin ◽  
L.-J. Hsu ◽  
G. N. Orlovsky ◽  
T. G. Deliagina
Keyword(s):  
Balance Control ◽  
Simple Algorithm ◽  
Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Dorsal Side ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Sway ◽  
Lateral Stability ◽  
Postural Perturbation ◽  
Lateral Body ◽  
Postural System

In quadrupeds, the dorsal-side-up body orientation during standing is maintained due to a postural system that is driven by feedback signals coming mainly from limb mechanoreceptors. In caudally decerebrated (postmammillary) rabbits, the efficacy of this system is considerably reduced. In this paper, we report that the efficacy of postural control in these animals can be restored with galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) applied transcutaneously to the labyrinths. In standing intact rabbits, GVS causes a lateral body sway towards the positive electrode. We used this GVS-caused sway to counteract the lateral body sway resulting from a mechanical perturbation of posture. Experiments were performed on postmammillary rabbits that stood on the tilting platform with their hindlimbs. To make the GVS value dependent on the postural perturbation (i.e., on the lateral body sway caused by tilt of the platform), an artificial feedback loop was formed in the following ways: 1) Information about the body sway was provided by a mechanical sensor; 2) The GVS current was applied when the sway exceeded a threshold value; the polarity of the current was determined by the sway direction. This simple algorithm allowed the “hybrid” postural system to maintain the dorsal-side-up orientation of the hindquarters when the platform was tilted by ± 20°. Thus, an important postural function, i.e., securing lateral stability during standing, can be restored in decerebrate rabbits with the GVS-based artificial feedback. We suggest that such a control system can compensate for the loss of lateral stability of various etiologies, and can be used for restoration of balance control in patients with impaired postural functions.

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