The generation of whole-body angular momentum is essential in many locomotor tasks and must be regulated in order to maintain dynamic balance. However, angular momentum has not been investigated during stair walking, which is an activity that presents a biomechanical challenge for balance-impaired populations. We investigated three-dimensional whole-body angular momentum during stair ascent and...

STUDY DESIGN The authors conducted a retrospective study involving description of a new surgical technique. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to describe and evaluate the efficacy of a new technique to stabilize the spine of young and small patients with congenital scoliosis after lumbosacral hemivertebra excision. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Congenital scoliosis develops as the res...

Methods Standing balance was tested with CQ-STAB force platform: sway pathway (mm), area (mm) of the centre of pressure (COP) were measured within the left and the right leg. Dynamic balance with two-leg standing on equilibrium board was studied with DELOS Postural System: platform frontal sway from the horizontal axis (°) and trunk frontal and sagittal sway from the vertical axis (°). Both sta...

A humanoid robot should be able to keep balance even in the presence of disturbing forces. Studies of human body reaction patterns to sudden external forces (impacts) are useful for developing balance control strategies. In this paper, we show how to implement two such reaction patterns, called ankle and hip strategy, using a small humanoid robot. Simple dynamical models in the sagittal plane a...

BACKGROUND The presented case illustrates the critical role of a detailed preoperative radiological evaluation in complex spine surgery. CASE REPORT A 49-year-old patient was admitted for a revision surgery after L3-L5 fusion. Preoperative assessment showed preserved sagittal balance, coronal imbalance and valgus knee deformity. The patient reported pain of 8-10 in VAS (Visual Analogue Scale)...

Objectives: Virtual reality is a new technology that has been recently used for different purposes in the rehabilitation of children. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of this method in balance rehabilitation of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP). Methods: This was an A-B-A design single subject study in which 3 children with hemiplegic CP participated. The baseline phase and in...

Unexpected sudden perturbations challenge postural equilibrium and require reactive compensation. This study aimed to assess interaction effects of the direction, displacement and velocity of perturbations on electromyographic (EMG) activity, centre of pressure (COP) displacement and joint kinematics to detect neuromuscular characteristics (phasic and segmental) and kinematic strategies of comp...