OBJECTIVE To determine if medio-lateral motion of the head, trunk, or pelvis demonstrates dynamic stability as well as whole-body center of mass during obstructed walking. DESIGN Group comparison of two elderly populations using whole-body motion analysis. BACKGROUND Detection of imbalance through analysis of center of mass motion is commonly adopted, requiring three-dimensional reconstruct...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effects on stroke patients of trunk stabilization exercise on different support surfaces. [Subjects and Methods] Sixteen stroke patients with onset of stroke six months earlier or longer were randomly and equally assigned to group I (exercise performed on a stable support surface) and group II (exercise performed on an unstable support surf...

CONTEXT Instability resistance training (IRT; unstable surfaces and devices to strengthen the core or trunk muscles) is popular in fitness training facilities. OBJECTIVE To examine contradictory IRT recommendations for health enthusiasts and rehabilitation. DATA SOURCES A literature search was performed using MEDLINE, SPORT Discus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases...

OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on balance function in patients with chronic stroke. METHODS Thirty participants with chronic stroke were enrolled in this study. High frequency (10 Hz) rTMS was delivered with butterfly-coil on trunk motor spot. Each patient received both real and sham rTMS in a random sequence. The rTMS cy...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE This study explores the effect of vibrotactile biofeedback on gait in 20 patients with bilateral vestibular areflexia using observational gait analysis to score individual balance. METHODS A tilt sensor mounted on the head or trunk is used to detect head or body tilt and activates, via a microprocessor, 12 equally distributed vibrators placed around the waist. Two posit...

Assessment of sitting balance in children and youth with cerebral palsy (CP) is critical in order to design appropriate interventions to enhance activities and participation. This systematic review synthesized research evidence on the reliability, validity, responsiveness to change, and clinical utility of sitting balance measures for children and youth with CP. A two-tiered search in August 20...

Although there are many studies demonstrating increased trunk activation under unstable conditions, it is not known whether this increased activation would translate into meaningful trunk strength with a prolonged training program. Additionally, while balance-training programs have been shown to improve stability, their effect on specific joint proprioception is not clear. Thus the objective of...

BACKGROUND There is limited normative, objective data combining musculoskeletal fitness (MSF), balance and physical activity (PA) among older adults. The aims were therefore to; 1) describe MSF and balance in older Norwegian adults focusing on age- and sex-related differences; 2) investigate the associations among MSF, balance and objectively-assessed PA levels. METHODS This was part of a nat...