Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control.

J Vis Exp

Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University.

Published: September 2019

Many components of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems act in concert to achieve the stable, upright human posture. Controlled experiments accompanied by appropriate mathematical methods are needed to understand the role of the different sub-systems involved in human postural control. This article describes a protocol for performing perturbed standing experiments, acquiring experimental data, and carrying out the subsequent mathematical analysis, with the aim of understanding the role of musculoskeletal system and central control in human upright posture. The results generated by these methods are important, because they provide insight into the healthy balance control, form the basis for understanding the etiology of impaired balance in patients and the elderly, and aid in the design of interventions to improve postural control and stability. These methods can be used to study the role of somatosensory system, intrinsic stiffness of ankle joint, and visual system in postural control, and may also be extended to investigate the role of vestibular system. The methods are to be used in the case of an ankle strategy, where the body moves primarily about the ankle joint and is considered a single-link inverted pendulum.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.3791/60078DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

postural control
16
methods study
8
human postural
8
ankle joint
8
control
6
experimental methods
4
human
4
study human
4
postural
4
control components
4

Similar Publications

Benefits of swaying while standing to higher selective attention in goal-directed visual tasks.

Hum Mov Sci

December 2024

Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 9193 - SCALab, Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, F-59000 Lille, France. Electronic address:

Background And Aim: Sit-stand desks allow individuals to work in either sitting or standing position. While previous studies have reported better performance on the attention network test (ANT) while standing compared to sitting, the relationship between body sway induced by these positions and ANT performance remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to test and expect benefits of body sway (in terms of magnitude and complexity) and improvements in ANT performance when standing (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Idiopathic scoliosis is a postural deformity of the spine that not only changes the shape of the spine but may also alter postural control and muscle strength. Although this deformity is more common in some sports, it is not known whether the scoliosis athlete's balance and strength are altered. Balance and strength are essential to perform complex technical movements and prevent injuries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Central mechanisms of muscle tone regulation: implications for pain and performance.

Front Neurosci

December 2024

Department of Psychology and Communication, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United States.

Muscle tone represents a foundational property of the motor system with the potential to impact musculoskeletal pain and motor performance. Muscle tone is involuntary, dynamically adaptive, interconnected across the body, sensitive to postural demands, and distinct from voluntary control. Research has historically focused on pathological tone, peripheral regulation, and contributions from passive tissues, without consideration of the neural regulation of active tone and its consequences, particularly for neurologically healthy individuals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Cognitive-motor dual-tasking training (CMDT) might improve limb function and motor performance in stroke patients. However, is there enough evidence to prove that it is more effective compared with conventional physical single-task training? This meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of CMDT on balance and gait for treating hemiplegic stroke patients.

Methods: The databases were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid Database and The Cochrane Library, SinoMed database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang database, and VIP database up to December 8, 2023.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Taekwondo is a complex martial art that requires speed, balance, agility, and endurance. This study aims to examine the effects of nitrate and L-arginine supplementation on acute aerobic and anaerobic performance, balance, agility, and recovery in elite taekwondo athletes.

Method: This study was conducted as a double-blind, randomized, crossover study with the participation of 15 experienced taekwondo athletes aged 19.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!