To maintain a stable, upright posture, the central nervous system (CNS) must integrate sensory information from multiple sources and subsequently generate corrective torque about the ankle joint. Although proprioceptive information from the muscles that cross this joint has been shown to be vital in this process, the specific source of this information remains questionable. Recent research has ...

BACKGROUND This study aimed to examine: 1) Swaymeter concurrent validity in discriminating between young and older adult populations; 2) Swaymeter convergent validity against a forceplate system; and 3) the immediate test-retest repeatability of postural sway measures obtained from the Swaymeter. METHODS Twenty-nine older adults aged 71 to 83 years and 11 young adults aged 22 to 47 years had ...

We examined a precision aiming task in which a handheld laser pointer was controlled by the postural system. The task was performed in two orientations of the body's coronal plane to the target. In the parallel orientation medio-lateral (ML) sway had to be minimized, in the perpendicular orientation antero-posterior (AP) sway had to be minimized. In the parallel orientation ML sway decreased an...

BACKGROUND Postural sway can be assessed clinically using the Romberg test, or quantified using dynamic posturography. We assessed the potential use of a novel iPhone application as a method of quantifying sway. METHODS Fifty healthy volunteers performed the Romberg and tandem Romberg tests on a hard floor and on foam in soundproofed and normal clinic rooms. Postural sway was recorded using t...

The study investigated the effects of using a lower body prototype exoskeleton (EXO) on static limits of stability and postural sway. Measurements were taken with participants, 10 US Army enlisted men, standing on a force platform. The men were tested with and without the EXO (15 kg) while carrying military loads of 20, 40 and 55 kg. Body lean to the left and right was significantly less and po...

BACKGROUND The effect of dopaminergic therapy on balance in Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unclear, including previous studies that excluded the effect of dyskinesias or other involuntary movements on postural sway. Additionally, medication's effects may differ between fallers and non-fallers. In this study, the authors quantify the effect of dopaminergic medication on postural balance (sway)...

BACKGROUND Diminished control of standing balance, traditionally indicated by greater postural sway magnitude and speed, is associated with falls in older adults. Tai Chi (TC) is a multisystem intervention that reduces fall risk, yet its impact on sway measures vary considerably. We hypothesized that TC improves the integrated function of multiple control systems influencing balance, quantifiab...

Background: Vision, vestibular sense, proprioception and muscle strength are required to maintain balance. However, gender could also play a crucial role in postural sway. Objectives: This study was used examine (i) the impact of gender, surface type, vision on sway; (ii) effects limb symmetry (iii) understand stance, type alterations dynamic sway alterations. Methods: cross-sectional which you...

cranes and gantry cranes occupy a crucial role within industry. They are used throughout the world in thousands of factories, steel mills, foundries, ship yards, warehouses, nuclear power plants, waste recycling facilities and other industrial complexes. In many manufacturing operations, operator controlled cranes account for as much as 20% of the production cycle. Material handling engineers h...

30 Explicit visual feedback on postural sway is often used in balance assessment and training. However, up31 weighting of visual information may mask impairments of other sensory systems. We therefore aimed to 32 determine whether the effects of somatosensory, vestibular and proprioceptive manipulations on 33 mediolateral balance are reduced by explicit visual feedback on mediolateral sway of t...