AIMS Due to their contribution to modulation of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and stiffness of the sacroiliac joints, the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) have been argued to provide a contribution to control of the lumbar spine and pelvis. Furthermore, as IAP is modulated during respiration this is likely to be accompanied by changes in PFM activity. METHODS In order to evaluate the postural and ...

A method for assessing balance, which was sensitive to changes in the postural control system is presented. This paper describes the implementation of a force-sensing platform, with force sensing resistors as the sensing element. The platform is capable of measuring destabilized postural perturbations in dynamic and static postural conditions. Besides providing real-time qualitative assessment,...

Variability is fundamental to biological systems and is important in posturomotor learning and control. Pain induces a protective postural strategy, although variability is normally preserved. If variability is lost, does the normal postural strategy return when pain stops? Sixteen subjects performed arm movements during control trials, when the movement evoked back pain and then when it did no...

Postural control during normal upright stance in humans is a well-learned task. Hence, it has often been argued that it requires very little attention. However, many studies have recently shown that postural control is modified when a cognitive task is executed simultaneously especially in the elderly and in the presence of pathology. This study examined postural control modifications when a co...

Posture is a complex sensory-motor behavior that can be influenced by the fear of falling (FoF) during environmental changes. The aim of this paper is to investigate the influence of FoF on orthostatic postural control in healthy individuals by a systematic review. Thirteen articles were selected. Some other articles (31 references) were used to contextualize and discuss the topic. Studies in t...

BACKGROUND Postural stability analysis has shown that postural control is impaired in untreated idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD), even in the early stages of the disease. Vascular Parkinson's disease (VPD) lacks consensus clinical criteria or diagnostic tests. Moreover, the levodopa effect on postural balance remains undefined for IPD and even less so for VPD. OBJECTIVE To characterize po...

Human postural sway, as measured by fluctuations of the center of pressure (COP) under the feet of a quietly standing individual, can be characterized as a stochastic process. The fluctuation-dissipation theorem (FDT) provides a linear relationship between the fluctuations of a quasi-static, stochastic system to the same system's relaxation to equilibrium following a perturbation. We applied a ...

This study intended to determine if an acute bout of soccer heading alters postural control and pronounced self-reported symptoms of cerebral concussion. Collegiate soccer players were randomly assigned to one of 2 groups. Each participant completed a baseline postural control assessment prior to heading. Participants either simulated (control group; CG) or performed (experimental group; EG) 10...