The present study sought to determine whether the increased postural instability produced by a spoken mental task was due to competing demands for attentional resources or perturbation of posture by articulation. Postural sway was measured in 36 normal subjects under the following conditions: repeating a number aloud (articulation), counting backwards aloud in multiples of seven (articulation and attention), counting backwards silently (attention), and no mental task (neither articulation nor attention). Articulation resulted in a significant increase in sway, whereas no effect of attention was observed. We conclude that in order to accurately assess the effect of attentional demands on postural control, it is important to eliminate or control the effects of articulation.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00001756-199902050-00003 | DOI Listing |
PLoS One
January 2025
School of Exercise and Health, Shenyang Sport University, Shenyang, China.
Balance is crucial for various athletic tasks, and accurately assessing balance ability among elite athletes using simple and accessible measurement methods is a significant challenge in sports science. A common approach to balance assessment involves recording center of pressure (CoP) displacements using force platforms, with various indicators proposed to distinguish subtle balance differences. However, these indicators have not reached a consensus, and it remains unclear whether these analyses alone can fully explain the complex interactions of postural control.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGait Posture
January 2025
Saarland University, Im Stadtwald B8.2, Saarbrücken D-66123, Germany; Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77845, United States. Electronic address:
Background: Force plates are used to measure postural control. However, force plates differ with regard to the type of sensors and the position of the sensors. The purpose of the study was to introduce a method for testing the comparability of two force plates with different force transducers regarding their center of pressure (CoP) capturing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHum Mov Sci
January 2025
Sports Physical Therapy Laboratory, School of Physical Education and Sports Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. Electronic address:
Introduction: Breathing and postural control is reported to be both neuromuscularly and mechanically interdependent. To date, the effects of voluntary abdominal and thoracic breathing (VAB and VTB) on the EMG activity of muscles involved in both respiratory and postural functions, as well as gait biomechanics related to these breathing patterns, have not been investigated in young, healthy adults. The aim of the study was to evaluate the EMG responses of neck and trunk muscles, as well as the kinematic, stability, and kinetic parameters of gait induced by VAB and VTB compared to involuntary breathing (INB).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAging Clin Exp Res
January 2025
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.
Background: Falls on stairs are a major cause of severe injuries among older adults, with stair descent posing significantly greater risks than ascent. Variations in stair descent phenotypes may reflect differences in physical function and biomechanical stability, and their identification may prevent falls.
Aims: This study aims to classify stair descent phenotypes in older adults and investigate the biomechanical and physical functional differences between these phenotypes using hierarchical cluster analysis.
J Sports Sci
January 2025
Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy.
Anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) are responsible for a successful first step execution in handstand walking. This study evaluates gymnasts' ability to adapt their APAs and stepping parameters in response to adding/removing an external load over repeated handstand walking initiation trials. Eighteen gymnasts performed five handstand walking initiation trials without load (PRE), eight trials with an external load (LOAD) and five trials with removed load (POST).
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