Dynamic Balance Skills Research Articles

Comprehensive Training for Sport: Implications for the Strength and Conditioning Professional

Continued evolution of the strength and conditioning profession may require a broader scope of practice. Comprehensive assessment of the athlete to identify limiting factors, which may optimize training by making it uniquely individualized, is necessary. Factors such as strength symmetry, joint stability, coordination, dynamic balance, and visual and perceptual skills are important limiting factors that should be addressed to a greater extent in the modern training program.

Aspects of the validity of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children

Does the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC) measures what it claims to measure? The concurrent validity of the total impairment score and some of the item scores of the second and third age band of the M-ABC test were investigated. One hundred thirty three children, between 7- and 9-year-old, were assessed with the M-ABC test, a ball catching test and two tasks measuring dynamic balance. Ninety of these children were identified as children with a poor ball catching skill and 43 children were typically developing children. One hundred and seven children were assessed with the second age band of the M-ABC (the 7- and 8-year-old children) and 26 with the third age band (the 9-year-old children). The results of the correlation analysis between the ball catching test, the two dynamic balance tasks and the corresponding items of the M-ABC, varied from non-significant to a highly significant correlation coefficient of −0.74. For some items concurrent validity was established but other items seemed less valid, probably due to a lack of discriminative power. The concurrent validity of the total impairment score of the M-ABC was confirmed for the second age band. Correlation coefficients between the ball catching test, the dynamic balance skills and the M-ABC varied between −0.72 and −0.76. The results for the third age band have to be interpreted with prudence because they were based on only 26 children.

Static and dynamic balance function in spasmodic torticollis

The consequences of abnormal head posture on static and dynamic balance skill were studied in a group of 10 patients with idiopathic spasmodic torticollis (ST). In static conditions, body sway was assessed using a conventional force platform with eyes open and with eyes closed. Standardized dynamic balance conditions were produced using a rocking platform; lateral and anteroposterior dynamic balance skills were assessed by measuring linear displacement both of the body base and of the head. Dynamic tests were repeated 6 weeks after botulinum toxin treatment in all patients. Patients' results were compared with those obtained from 10 control subjects. In static conditions, ST patients did not differ from control subjects, but in dynamic conditions, balance parameters were greater in the patient group than in the control group. This was true for the lateral direction and for dynamic balance parameters recorded both before and after botulinum toxin treatment. Eye closure significantly increased dynamic balance parameters in both groups. However, the effect of eye closure was greater in the patient group than the control group, especially for lateral sway, suggesting that patients used vision to compensate for the dynamic balance disturbance induced by the spasmodic torticollis. Despite a significant improvement of head posture in all patients after botulinum toxin treatment, no significant changes in dynamic balance parameters were observed between the first and second test. The possible origins of the dynamic balance disturbance observed in ST patients are discussed.

Static and dynamic balance function in spasmodic torticollis.

The consequences of abnormal head posture on static and dynamic balance skill were studied in a group of 10 patients with idiopathic spasmodic torticollis (ST). In static conditions, body sway was assessed using a conventional force platform with eyes open and with eyes closed. Standardized dynamic balance conditions were produced using a rocking platform; lateral and anteroposterior dynamic balance skills were assessed by measuring linear displacement both of the body base and of the head. Dynamic tests were repeated 6 weeks after botulinum toxin treatment in all patients. Patients' results were compared with those obtained from 10 control subjects. In static conditions, ST patients did not differ from control subjects, but in dynamic conditions, balance parameters were greater in the patient group than in the control group. This was true for the lateral direction and for dynamic balance parameters recorded both before and after botulinum toxin treatment. Eye closure significantly increased dynamic balance parameters in both groups. However, the effect of eye closure was greater in the patient group than the control group, especially for lateral sway, suggesting that patients used vision to compensate for the dynamic balance disturbance induced by the spasmodic torticollis. Despite a significant improvement of head posture in all patients after botulinum toxin treatment, no significant changes in dynamic balance parameters were observed between the first and second test. The possible origins of the dynamic balance disturbance observed in ST patients are discussed.

Static and dynamic balance skills of trainable children with Down's syndrome.

This study compared static and dynamic balance performance of 25 subjects with Down's Syndrome and 25 without Down's Syndrome; controls were placed on CA and IQ. No significant difference between the two samples' static balance performance was noted; subjects with the Down's Syndrome had significantly superior dynamic balance performance.