Abstract
Objective: The present study is a preliminary investigation of whether balance training intervention usinga tactilebiofeedback system, providing supplementary vibratory sensory cues related to center of foot pressure displacement, contributes toward improved stability of upright posture as measured post-intervention. Methods: Twelve young adults (age 27.6 ± 4.2 years) were assigned to two groups: tactilebiofeedback and control. In the tactilebiofeedbackgroup, the participants tried to minimize postural sway while standing on a foam rubber mat with their eyes open and wearing the tactilebiofeedback system around the pelvic girdle. In the control group, participants performed the same postural task without the tactilebiofeedback system. Results: Pre and post measurements of postural stability (i.e., sway area, mean velocity of sway) using a force plate showed significantly improved stability of bipedal posture in the tactilebiofeedback compared with the control group. This beneficial effect was maintained for 10 min after the retention test. Conclusions: A tactilebiofeedback system, providing supplementary vibratory sensory cues related to center of foot displacement, was effective in improving postural stability in cases where somatosensory input was not entirely unreliable, and this beneficial effect had a brief carry-over effect.
Highlights
Biofeedback systems for postural control entail providing individuals with artificial sensory cues about body position or motion to supplement sensory information [1,2], and their utility is currently being investigated to serve as a balance training tool for older adults and patients with sensory disorders [3,4]
Vuillerme et al reported that the provision of supplementary information on head orientation with respect to gravitational effects through electrical stimulation of the tongue improved postural control, which was indicated by decreased surface area and length of center of foot pressure (CoP) displacements using biofeedback relative to nonbiofeedback [9]
Because CoP is a reliable and commonly used output measure of the postural control system that is indicative of postural stability [11,12,13], we developed a CoP biofeedback system providing supplementary tactile sensory cues related to CoP displacement using a vibrator applied to the lower back
Summary
Twelve young adults (age 27.6 ± 4.2 years) were assigned to two groups: tactilebiofeedback and control. The participants tried to minimize postural sway while standing on a foam rubber mat with their eyes open and wearing the tactilebiofeedback system around the pelvic girdle. Participants performed the same postural task without the tactilebiofeedback system
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