Effects of the Interference of Sensory Systems on Postural Control in Congenitally Blind Subjects.

The postural system requires the sensory systems to maintain postural control (PC). Blind subjects use the somatosensory system to keep PC whereas sighted subjects use the visual system. So what happens to PC when challenging the sensory systems? We analyzed the center of pressure (COP) in ten blind and 10 sighted subjects under conditions: eyes open/closed (interference of visual system) and on firm/foam surfaces (interference of somatosensory system).