Treatment Resort Extended with Modern Feedback Exercises Using Virtual Reality to Improve Postural Control in Patients Aged 65+ with an Increased Risk of Falls. Preliminary Study

Introduction: The aim of the study was to learn the influence of treatment resort extended with modern exercises with feedback using virtual reality for postural control and reducing the risk of falls in people aged 65+. Material and Methods: Seventy four people (46 women, 28 men; aged 65-84) participated for three weeks in spa therapy, which was extended with physical exercises using feedback based on virtual reality to improve postural control and reduce the risk of falls. Postural control tests, “get up and go” test (TUG) and test standing up from the chair for 30 seconds were performed to assess the progress of the therapy. Results: After treatment in the Romberg trial performed on the stabilometric platform with open and closed eyes, a statistically significant improvement in most parameters indicating improved postural control was noted, including reduction of path length and surface area of center of foot pressure (COP), reduction of the length and speed of bowel movements COP in the frontal and sagittal planes. A statistically significant reduction in the time of the TUG test and increase the number of repetitions of standing up from the chair in 30 seconds were also noted. Statistical significance was assumed at the level of p≤0.05. Conclusions: Treatment resort enriched with exercises using virtual reality and feedback contributes to improving postural control and reducing the risk of falls in people aged 65+. The results of the study should be confirmed in high-quality therapeutic experiments, including control groups.

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Vestibular function modulates the impact of nGVS on postural control in older adults

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00512.2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mujda Nooristani ◽

Charlotte Bigras ◽

Louise Lafontaine ◽

Benoit-Antoine Bacon ◽

Maxime Maheu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Postural Control ◽

Path Length ◽

Vestibular Function ◽

Vestibular Stimulation ◽

Sham Stimulation ◽

Important Relationship ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Risk Of Falls ◽

The Impact

Previous studies have reported an important relationship between increasing age, vestibular impairment and increased risk of falls. Recently, noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation (nGVS) has been shown to improve postural control in older adults. However, this effect of nGVS in older adults has not been examined in interaction with the integrity of the vestibular function. We aimed at determining the effect of nGVS on postural control in older adults with and without vestibular impairment and ii) at examining the sustained effect of nGVS as compared to a sham stimulation. 36 older adults were randomly assigned to the nGVS group [n=24] or the sham group [n=12]. In the nGVS group, 12 participants had normal vestibular function and 12 had vestibular impairment. Static postural control was assessed prior to stimulation, during stimulation and immediately following 30 minutes of nGVS. Results showed that nGVS induced a significant improvement in sway velocity (p<0.001) and path length (p<0.001) compared to sham stimulation. In the nGVS group, participants with vestibular impairment showed a significant decrease of sway velocity (p<0.05) and path length (p<0.05) as compared to those with normal vestibular function. Improvements in sway velocity (p<0.001) and path length (p<0.001) induced by nGVS were sustained immediately following stimulation. These findings suggest that nGVS improves postural control in older adults, and that the effect of nGVS varies depending on the integrity of the vestibular function. Results also show that nGVS effect on postural control, compared to a sham stimulation, can be sustained after the end of stimulation.

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Comparison of Postural Control of Children with down Syndrome and Those with other Forms of Mental Retardation

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1997.84.2.499 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 84 (2) ◽

pp. 499-504 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Mitsuru Kokubun ◽

Takashi Shinmyo ◽

Mizue Ogita ◽

Keiichi Morita ◽

Masaki Furuta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Down Syndrome ◽

Mental Retardation ◽

Postural Control ◽

Foot Pressure ◽

Children With Down Syndrome ◽

Center Of Foot Pressure ◽

The Mean

To confirm the 1994 findings of Okuzumi, Haishi, and Kokubun, the displacement of the center of foot pressure, one-foot balance and bead sway were measured in children with Down syndrome ( n = 11) compared to those with other types of mental retardation ( n = 17). The magnitudes of the displacement of the center of foot pressure and head sway were not significantly different between the Down group and other forms of mental retardation, whereas the performance of one-foot balance was significantly lower in the Down group. The mean frequencies of sway waves were generally higher in the Down group, and the differences between the two groups were significant except for sagittal head sway. The results generally supported the prior findings. We proposed that it was not the magnitude of the displacement of the center of foot pressure but rather the manner of the whole body's sway which might be related to postural control.

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Effect of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy on postural control in cancer survivors.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2017.35.5_suppl.128 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 35 (5_suppl) ◽

pp. 128-128 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Haley K. Herman ◽

Scott M. Monfort ◽

Xueliang Jeff Pan ◽

Ajit M.W. Chaudhari ◽

Maryam B. Lustberg

Keyword(s):

Peripheral Neuropathy ◽

Postural Control ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Center Of Pressure ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Risk Of Falls ◽

Balance Deficits ◽

Chemotherapy Patients ◽

Eortc Qlq ◽

Walking Balance

128 Background: Advances in screening and treatment have significantly improved the survival of cancer patients. However, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common dose-limiting toxicity of curative treatment; many patients either cannot complete planned course of treatment or have long standing effects on quality of life. CIPN has been shown to lead to pain, falls, and difficulty walking. Balance changes have been reported with other neuropathies but have not been investigated in depth in cancer patients. This study aims to improve our understanding of changes in postural control associated with CIPN. We hypothesize that patients who report more significant CIPN symptoms will perform more poorly on balance testing. Methods: Eleven cancer patients were enrolled (9 female/ 2 male; 9 breast cancer/ 2 GI cancer; 1.67 ± 0.05 m; 85.8 ± 19.3 kg; 56.5 ± 14.5 yrs). These patients included cases (n = 7), tested within 6 weeks of finishing taxane or oxaliplatin chemotherapy, and controls (n = 4) who did not receive chemotherapy. Patients’ sensory symptoms were assessed by EORTC QLQ-CIPN20. Standing on a balance plate, patients were instructed to close their eyes and remain still while their center of pressure (CoP) was recorded. Medial-lateral root mean squared CoP excursion (RMS) was calculated to provide a measure of postural stability, with higher values indicating poorer control of CoP position and being predictive of falls. Results: Groups were not statistically different in terms of height, mass, or age (p > 0.1). Cases had an average of 3.8 mm (95% CI: 1.7 mm, 6.0 mm) increase in RMS over controls (p = 0.004). Furthermore, cases scored an average of 37.6 points (95% CI: 19.5 points, 55.7 points) lower on a normalized CIPN 20 scale, suggesting worse sensory symptoms (p = 0.002). Conclusions: Patients with CIPN symptoms displayed significantly poorer control of their CoP. This supports the hypothesis that CIPN symptoms associate with poorer balance. The balance deficits reported here are consistent with increased risk of falls and negative post-treatment sequelae. This further suggests a need for closer monitoring and even targeted balance-focused rehabilitation following chemotherapy.

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Trends in the Analysis of Static Balance

Reabilitacijos mokslai slauga kineziterapija ergoterapija ◽

10.33607/rmske.v1i2.883 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Vilma Juodžbalienė ◽

Kazimieras Muckus

Keyword(s):

Postural Control ◽

Physiological Parameters ◽

Quiet Standing ◽

Static Balance ◽

Foot Pressure ◽

Postural Control System ◽

Balance Disorders ◽

Dependent Variables ◽

Center Of Foot Pressure ◽

Anterior Posterior

The aim of the paper was to discuss the trends in the analysis of static balance and relation between physiological parameters and characteristics of posturograms. Static balance is ability to keep steady posture in certain stance [2, 3]. Posturography is one of most popular research methods of static balance [10, 11]. During the last decade it was maintained that the most informative dependent variables defining postural stability were the amplitude of the center of foot pressure (COP) sway in anterior-posterior and mediolateral directions, the length of the COP pathway and the area of the COP sway [9, 15]. The output of the posturograms registered during quiet standing is irregular and erratic [14]. Therefore, methods analyzing the structure of the posturograms are very topical for physiology and Rehabilitation science. The scientists attempt to determine certain noise and oscillation patterns in the posturogram [20]. According to researchers [14], the structure and roughness or smoothness of the posturogram could reflect the changes in postural control system. It is still questionable which of the methods analyzing the posturogram outcomes could be the most informative and useful for the diagnostics of postural control disorders. It is important to be able to repeat the scientific study, but it is still complicated to solve tasks related to postural control disorders diagnostics and the evaluation of the treatment means effectiveness. It is important to define the relation between physiological parameters and characteristics of posturograms in order to apply the posturography for balance disorders diagnostics. We suppose that methods of posturogram structure analysis could improve the differential balance disorders diagnostics essentially.Keywords: static balance, static posturography, center of foot pressure.

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Effects of Limb Dominance on Postural Balance in Sportsmen Practicing Symmetric and Asymmetric Sports: A Pilot Study

Symmetry ◽

10.3390/sym13112199 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 2199

Author(s):

Mohamed Abdelhafid Kadri ◽

Frédéric Noé ◽

Julien Maitre ◽

Nicola Maffulli ◽

Thierry Paillard

Keyword(s):

Postural Control ◽

Physiological State ◽

Frontal Plane ◽

Relative Increase ◽

Foot Pressure ◽

Before And After ◽

Center Of Foot Pressure ◽

Fatiguing Exercise ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

The Difference

The current literature shows no consensus regarding the difference between the dominant leg (D-Leg) and the non-dominant leg (ND-Leg) in terms of postural control. This lack of consensus could stem from motor experience (i.e., symmetric or asymmetric motricity) and/or the physiological state induced by physical exercise. This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of fatiguing exercise on postural control when standing on the D-Leg and the ND-Leg, in athletes practicing symmetric (SYM) and asymmetric (ASYM) sports. Thirty healthy male participants were recruited and divided into two groups, (SYM n = 15) and (ASYM n = 15, on the basis of the motricity induced by the sport they practice. Monopedal postural control was assessed for the D-Leg and the ND-Leg before and after the fatigue period (which consisted of repeating squats until exhaustion). A force platform was used to calculate the spatio-temporal characteristics of the displacements of the center of foot pressure (COP). A significant fatigue effect was observed in both groups on the D-Leg and the ND-Leg for all the COP parameters. There was a tendency (p = 0.06) between the ASYM and SYM groups on the D-Leg, concerning the relative increase in the COP velocity in the frontal plane after the fatigue period. The fatigue condition disturbed postural control in both the SYM and ASYM groups on the D-Leg and ND-Leg. This disturbing effect related to fatigue tends to be more marked in athletes practicing asymmetric sports than in athletes practicing symmetric sports on the D-Leg.

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Static postural control assessment during pregnancy

Brazilian Journal of Motor Behavior ◽

10.20338/bjmb.v9i1.44 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ana Silvia Moccellin ◽

Fernanda G. S. A. Nora ◽

Paula H. L. Costa ◽

Patricia Driusso

Keyword(s):

Postural Control ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Postural Stability ◽

Center Of Pressure ◽

Force Plate ◽

Pubic Symphysis ◽

Eyes Closed ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Risk Of Falls ◽

Eyes Open

The hormonal and anatomic changes during pregnancy affect the musculoskeletal system and may lead to instability of static postural control and increased risk of falls. The aim of this study was to analyze changes in static postural control during the three trimesters of pregnancy, using variables derived from the center of pressure. This is a descriptive study in which posturographic tests were applied in four still standing positions, for three trials, with a combination of different visual conditions (eyes open - EO/eyes closed - EC) and support base configurations on 20 non-pregnant women (C) and 13 pregnant women during the gestational period (G1, G2 and G3). For static postural control assessment, a force plate (BertecÂ®) was used, and the variables analyzed were statokinesigram area, displacement amplitude, displacement velocity and sway frequency. The results demonstrate that, early in pregnancy, the woman's body seems to already change postural control, probably due to increased mobility of the sacroiliac joint and pubic symphysis caused by hormonal factors, and during the trimesters there is a decrease in postural stability, observed as an increase in the elliptical areas, amplitudes of center of pressure displacement and velocity of center of pressure displacement.

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Static postural control assessment during pregnancy

Brazilian Journal of Motor Behavior ◽

10.20338/bjmb.2015-0004 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ana Silvia Moccellin ◽

Fernanda G. S. A. Nora ◽

Paula H. L. Costa ◽

Patricia Driusso

Keyword(s):

Postural Control ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Postural Stability ◽

Center Of Pressure ◽

Force Plate ◽

Pubic Symphysis ◽

Eyes Closed ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Risk Of Falls ◽

Eyes Open

<p>The hormonal and anatomic changes during pregnancy affect the musculoskeletal system and may lead to instability of static postural control and increased risk of falls. The aim of this study was to analyze changes in static postural control during the three trimesters of pregnancy, using variables derived from the center of pressure. This is a descriptive study in which posturographic tests were applied in four still standing positions, for three trials, with a combination of different visual conditions (eyes open - EO/eyes closed - EC) and support base configurations on 20 non-pregnant women (C) and 13 pregnant women during the gestational period (G1, G2 and G3). For static postural control assessment, a force plate (Bertec®) was used, and the variables analyzed were statokinesigram area, displacement amplitude, displacement velocity and sway frequency. The results demonstrate that, early in pregnancy, the woman's body seems to already change postural control, probably due to increased mobility of the sacroiliac joint and pubic symphysis caused by hormonal factors, and during the trimesters there is a decrease in postural stability, observed as an increase in the elliptical areas, amplitudes of center of pressure displacement and velocity of center of pressure displacement.</p>

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A Social Virtual Reality-Based Application for the Physical and Cognitive Training of the Elderly at Home

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s19020261 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 261 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Sara Arlati ◽

Vera Colombo ◽

Daniele Spoladore ◽

Luca Greci ◽

Elisa Pedroli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Treatment Adherence ◽

Elderly Population ◽

The Elderly ◽

Falls Prevention ◽

Improve Treatment ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Risk Of Falls ◽

Task Training ◽

Dual Task Training

Frailty is a clinical condition affecting the elderly population which results in an increased risk of falls. Previous studies demonstrated that falls prevention programs are effective, but they suffer from low adherence, especially when subjects have to train unsupervised in their homes. To try to improve treatment adherence, virtual reality and social media have been proposed as promising strategies for the increase of users’ motivation and thus their willingness to practice. In the context of smart homes, this work presents SocialBike, a virtual reality-based application aimed at improving the clinical outcomes of older frail adults in their houses. Indeed, SocialBike is integrated in the “house of the future” framework and proposes a Dual Task training program in which the users are required to cycle on a stationary bike while recognizing target animals or objects appearing along the way. It also implements the possibility of training with other users, thus reducing the risk of social isolation. Within SocialBike, users can choose the multiplayer mode they prefer (i.e., collaborative or competitive), and are allowed to train following their own attitude. SocialBike’s validation, refinement, and business model are currently under development, and are briefly discussed as future works.

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Medical Resort Treatment Extended with Modern Feedback Exercises Using Virtual Reality Improve Postural Control in Breast Cancer Survivors. Preliminary Study

Acta Balneologica ◽

10.36740/abal202002104 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 62 (2) ◽

pp. 92-98

Author(s):

Laura Piejko ◽

Kamila Niewolak ◽

Dariusz Fielek ◽

Paula Pecyna ◽

Dariusz Chełminiak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Postural Control ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Medical Treatment ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Foot Pressure ◽

Physical Exercises ◽

The Impact

Introduction: Women with breast cancer have an increasing chance of survival for many years. Multimodal, extremely effective but also aggressive treatment, often leads to disorders of neuromuscular excitability and physical fitness of the patients. Therefore, when planning the physiotherapy process of women treated for breast cancer, one should look for the most effective methods of improvement with broad neurostimulatory and neuromodulatory effects. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the possibilities of using virtual reality exercises in therapy. Aim: The study was to understand the impact of medical resort treatment extended with modern feedback exercises using virtual reality to improve postural control in breast cancer survivors. M aterial and Methods: A clinical, pilot, non-controlled study was conducted at the Solanki Medical Resort in Inowroclaw. 46 women aged 36 to 63 completed the study (mean 51.67 ± 6.62 years). The patients participated in spa therapy for 3 weeks. For basic medical treatment, to improve postural control, physical exercises using feedback based on virtual reality were introduced. Postural control tests performed on the stabilometric platform were used to assess the progress of therapy. Results: In the assessment of dynamic postural control, the length of the center of foot pressure (COP) movement path before the treatment was on average 278.28 cm (± 147.13) and after treatment shortened to 209.60 cm (± 86.49) which was statistically significant (p = 0.0083). In the assessment of static postural control, no statistically significant differences were found between the length of the COP pathway before treatment compared to the condition before treatment (p> 0.05). Conclusions: Medical treatment enriched with physical exercises using feedback based on virtual reality did not affect static postural control but contributed to the improvement of dynamic postural control. The results of the study should be confirmed in high-quality therapeutic experiments, including control groups.

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