BACKGROUND Postural sway can be assessed clinically using the Romberg test, or quantified using dynamic posturography. We assessed the potential use of a novel iPhone application as a method of quantifying sway. METHODS Fifty healthy volunteers performed the Romberg and tandem Romberg tests on a hard floor and on foam in soundproofed and normal clinic rooms. Postural sway was recorded using t...

Background. Balance and walking impairments are frequent in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective. The aim was to investigate the effects of a group-based balance exercise program targeting core stability, dual tasking, and sensory strategies (CoDuSe) on balance, postural sway, walking, perceived walking limitations, and balance confidence. Design. A single-blinded randomized multicent...

Background Balance compensation after vestibular schwannoma (VS) surgery is under the influence of specific preoperative patient and tumor characteristics. Objective To prospectively identify potential prognostic factors for balance recovery, we compared the respective influence of these preoperative characteristics on balance compensation after VS surgery. Methods In 50 patients scheduled for ...

Postural control is crucial for most tasks of daily living, delineating postural orientation and balance, with its main goal of fall prevention. Nevertheless, falls are common events, and have been associated with deficits in muscle strength and dynamic postural stability. Recent studies reported on improvements in rate of force development and static postural control evoked by jaw clenching ac...

Repetitive and goal based task supported with virtual reality technology have proven successful in balance training of stroke population. However, adding a haptic experience can besides increasing the difficulty level of the task enable postural responses assessment. We demonstrated in a single subject with stroke that haptic feedback can be used not only for interaction with virtual environmen...

BACKGROUND Balance dysfunction and postural instability in Parkinson's disease are among the most relevant determinants of an impaired quality of life. Physiotherapy interventions are essential to reduce the level of disability by treating balance dysfunction and postural instability. The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to test the effectiveness of conventional physiotherap...

The simple postural task of quiet standing, which requires minimal attentional resources, is generally paired with cognitive activity. Competition for attentional resources is a consequence of simultaneously performing balance tasks and cognitive tasks, and impairment of attentional resource allocation with aging leads to increased risks of fall. We investigated age-related changes in posture c...

BACKGROUND This study used a dual task design to examine the effect of sensory context on postural stability during the concurrent performance of an attentionally demanding cognitive task in young and older adults with and without a history of imbalance and falls. METHODS A choice reaction time auditory task was used to produce changes in attention during quiet stance in six different sensory...