scholarly journals A Concurrent Cognitive Task Does Not Perturb Quiet Standing in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omid Rasouli ◽  
Egil A. Fors ◽  
Ottar Vasseljen ◽  
Ann-Katrin Stensdotter

Background and Objectives. Cognitive complaints are common in fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Fatigue as well as pain may require greater effort to perform cognitive tasks, thereby increasing the load on processing in the central nervous system and interfering with motor control.Methods. The effect of a concurrent arithmetic cognitive task on postural control during quiet standing was investigated in 75 women (aged 19–49 years) and compared between FM, CFS, and matched controls (n=25/group). Quiet standing on a force plate was performed for 60 s/condition, with and without a concurrent cognitive task. The center of pressure data was decomposed into a slow component and a fast component representing postural sway and adjusting ankle torque.Results. Compared to controls, CFS and FM displayed lower frequency in the slow component (p<0.001), and CFS displayed greater amplitude in the slow (p=0.038andp=0.018) and fast (p=0.045) components. There were no interactions indicating different responses to the added cognitive task between any of the three groups.Conclusion. Patients displayed insufficient postural control across both conditions, while the concurrent cognitive task did not perturb quiet standing. Fatigue but not pain correlated with postural control variables.

Author(s):  
Elżbieta Piątek ◽  
Michał Kuczyński ◽  
Bożena Ostrowska

Due to balance deficits that accompany adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), the potential interaction between activities of daily living and active self-correction movements (ASC) on postural control deserves particular attention. Our purpose was to assess the effects of ASC movements with or without a secondary mental task on postural control in twenty-five girls with AIS. It is a quasi-experimental within-subject design with repeated measures ANOVA. They were measured in four 20-s quiet standing trials on a force plate: no task, ASC, Stroop test, and both. Based on the center-of-pressure (COP) recordings, the COP parameters were computed. The ASC alone had no effect on any of the postural sway measures. Stroop test alone decreased COP speed and increased COP entropy. Performing the ASC movements and Stroop test together increased the COP speed and decreased COP entropy as compared to the baseline data. In conclusion, our results indicate that AIS did not interfere with postural control. The effects of the Stroop test accounted for good capacity of subjects with AIS to take advantage of distracting attentional resources from the posture. However, performing both tasks together exhibited some deficits in postural control, which may suggest the need for therapeutic consultation while engaging in more demanding activities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 127 (4) ◽  
pp. 639-650
Author(s):  
Kohtaroh Hagio ◽  
Hiroki Obata ◽  
Kimitaka Nakazawa

The execution of cognitive tasks is known to alter postural sway during standing, but the underlying mechanisms are still debated. This study investigated how performing a mental task modified balance control during standing. We required 15 healthy adult males to maintain an upright stance under conditions of simply relaxing and maintaining normal quiet standing (control condition) or while performing a secondary cognitive task (mental arithmetic). Under each condition, we measured the participants’ center of pressure and used kinematic measurements for a quantitative evaluation of postural control modulation. We calculated the standard deviation of the joint angles (ankle, knee, and hip) and the estimated joint stiffness to measure joint mobility changes in postural control. To estimate the kinematic pattern of covariation among these joints, we used uncontrolled manifold analysis, an assessment of the strength of multijoint coordination. Compared to normal standing, executing the cognitive task while standing led to reduced movements of the ankle and hip joints. There were no significant differences in ankle stiffness or uncontrolled manifold ratios between the conditions. Our results suggest that when performing a secondary cognitive task during standing, neither changes in the modification of stiffness nor the strength of multijoint coordination (both of which preserve the center of mass position) explains changes in postural sway.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. e0195111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omid Rasouli ◽  
Ottar Vasseljen ◽  
Egil A. Fors ◽  
Håvard W. Lorås ◽  
Ann-Katrin Stensdotter

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 418-427
Author(s):  
Yücel Makaracı ◽  
Recep Soslu ◽  
Ömer Özer ◽  
Abdullah Uysal

In sports such as basketball and volleyball, loss of balance due to the inability to maintain body stability and lack of postural control adversely affect athletic performance. Deaf athletes appear to struggle with balance and postural stability problems. The purpose of this study was to examine postural sway values in parallel and single leg stance of Olympic deaf basketball and volleyball players and reveal differences between the branches. Twenty-three male athletes from the Turkish national deaf basketball (n= 11) and volleyball (n= 12) teams participated in the study. After anthropometric measurements, the subjects completed postural sway (PS) tests in parallel/single leg stances with open eyes and closed eyes on a force plate. PS parameters (sway path, velocity, and area) obtained from the device software were used for the statistical analysis. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare differences in PS parameters between basketball and volleyball players, and the alpha value was accepted as 0.05. Volleyball players had significantly better results in parallel stance and dominant leg PS values than basketball players (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups in nondominant leg PS values (P>0.05). We think that proprioceptive and vestibular system enhancing training practices to be performed with stability exercises will be beneficial in terms of both promoting functional stability and interlimb coordination. Trainers and strength coaches should be aware of differences in the postural control mechanism of deaf athletes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anat V. Lubetzky ◽  
Jennifer L. Kelly ◽  
Bryan D. Hujsak ◽  
Jenny Liu ◽  
Daphna Harel ◽  
...  

Virtual reality allows for testing of multisensory integration for balance using portable Head Mounted Displays (HMDs). HMDs provide head kinematics data while showing a moving scene when participants are not. Are HMDs useful to investigate postural control? We used an HMD to investigate postural sway and head kinematics changes in response to auditory and visual perturbations and whether this response varies by context. We tested 25 healthy adults, and a small sample of people with diverse monaural hearing (n = 7), or unilateral vestibular dysfunction (n = 7). Participants stood naturally on a stable force-plate and looked at 2 environments via the Oculus Rift (abstract “stars;” busy “street”) with 3 visual and auditory levels (static, “low,” “high”). We quantified medio-lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) postural sway path from the center-of-pressure data and ML, AP, pitch, yaw and roll head path from the headset. We found no difference between the different combinations of “low” and “high” visuals and sounds. We then combined all perturbations data into “dynamic” and compared it to the static level. The increase in path between “static” and “dynamic” was significantly larger in the city environment for: Postural sway ML, Head ML, AP, pitch and roll. The majority of the vestibular group moved more than controls, particularly around the head, when the scenes, especially the city, were dynamic. Several patients with monaural hearing performed similar to controls whereas others, particularly older participants, performed worse. In conclusion, responses to sensory perturbations are magnified around the head. Significant differences in performance between environments support the importance of context in sensory integration. Future studies should further investigate the sensitivity of head kinematics to diagnose vestibular disorders and the implications of aging with hearing loss to postural control. Balance assessment and rehabilitation should be conducted in different environmental contexts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 840-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Ferreira ◽  
André Bebiano ◽  
Daniel Raro ◽  
João Martins ◽  
Anabela G. Silva

Context: Sliding and tensioning neural mobilization are used to restore normal function of the nervous system, but they impose different stresses on it. Particularly, sliding induces greater nerve excursion than tensioning. Conceivably, they might impact nervous system function differently. Objective: To compare the effects of tensioning neural mobilization versus sliding neural mobilization of the dominant lower limb on static postural control and hop testing. Design: Randomized, parallel and double blinded trial. Setting/Participants: Thirty-seven football players. Intervention(s): Participants were randomized into 2 groups: sliding neural mobilization (n = 18) or tensioning neural mobilization (n = 19) targeting the tibial nerve. Main Outcome Measures: Static postural sway was assessed with a force plate and functional performance with hop tests. Measurements were taken at baseline, after the intervention, and at 30-minute follow-up. Results: There was a significant effect of time for the center of pressure total displacement and velocity (P < .05), for the single-leg hop test (P < .05), the 6-m timed hop test (P < .05), and the cross-over hop test (P < .05), but no significant effect of the intervention. Conclusions: Sliding and tensioning neural mobilization improved postural control and hop testing in football players, and improvements remained 30 minutes after the intervention. Additional research examining the influence of neural mobilization on sensory motor impairments, postural control, and functional performance is needed.


Author(s):  
Dorota Borzucka ◽  
Krzysztof Kręcisz ◽  
Zbigniew Rektor ◽  
Michał Kuczyński

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to compare the postural control of the Poland national women’s volleyball team players with a control group of non-training young women. It was hypothesized that volleyball players use a specific balance control strategy due to the high motor requirements of their team sport. Methods Static postural sway variables were measured in 31 athletes and 31 non-training women. Participants were standing on a force plate with eyes open, and their center of pressure signals were recorded for the 20s with the sampling rate of 20 Hz in the medial-lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) planes. Results In both AP and ML planes, athletes had lower range and higher fractal dimension of the COP. They had also higher peak frequency than control group in the ML plane only. The remaining COP indices including variability, mean velocity and mean frequency did not display any intergroup differences. Conclusion It can be assumed that due to the high motor requirements of their sport discipline Polish female volleyball players have developed a unique posture control. On the court they have to distribute their sensory resources optimally between balance control and actions resulting from the specifics of the volleyball game. There are no clearly defined criteria for optimal postural strategies for elite athletes, but they rather vary depending on a given sport. The results of our research confirm this claim. Trial registration The tests were previously approved by the Bioethical Commission of the Chamber of Physicians in Opole. (Resolution No. 151/13.12.2007). This study adheres to the CONSORT guidelines.


Author(s):  
Francesco Palazzo ◽  
Alessandra Nardi ◽  
Niloofar Lamouchideli ◽  
Alfio Caronti ◽  
Anas Alashram ◽  
...  

AbstractIn previous studies, the influence of plantar sensation has been examined using various textured surfaces with different stiffness materials to assess static balance. This study investigated the effects of a Firm Textured Surface (FTS) along with age and sex-related influences on postural control under different visual conditions. Forty subjects (20 elderly, 10 males, mean age 68.30, 10 females, mean age 68.00, and 20 young people, 10 males, mean age 25.45, 10 females, mean age 27.30) participated in this study maintained a quiet standing on FTS, foam and firm surfaces with eyes open and closed. The center of pressure displacement (CoPDISP), CoP velocity (CoPVEL), and sway velocity of the CoP in anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) direction (VA/P and VM/L) were measured. FTS was associated with lower postural sway measures in both the groups with eyes open and closed. However, the foam surface showed the worst results in all postural parameters under all experimental conditions. Separate four-way ANOVAs were applied to each dependent variable. The main effects of surface (p < 0.0001), vision (p < 0.0001) and age (p < 0.0001 for CoPDISP, CoPVEL and VA/P; p = 0.0003 for VM/L) were significant in each of the four fitted models. Sex was never significant, either as a main effect or an interaction with other experimental factors. Eyes open were able to reduce the negative effects of the foam surfaces but without vision the proprioceptive sensory system cues of the body state become more important for maintaining balance. A good stimulation with rigid texture should be considered as relief to reduce the physiological-related decline of afferent information with age.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Akbaş ◽  
Wojciech Marszałek ◽  
Sławomir Drozd ◽  
Wojciech Czarny ◽  
Paweł Król ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The testing of athletes in ecological conditions is based on the concept that sport-specific adaptations in postural control are observed mostly in positions or tasks that are related to the practice of a specific movement. Due to the high postural control demands of ju-jitsu, it is likely that long-term ju-jitsu training may influence the process of maintaining a stable posture, especially in positions directly related to combat. The purpose of this study was to examine the postural sway characteristics of elite ju-jitsu athletes in ecological and non-ecological conditions with an approach not previously used in martial arts.Methods: The study was conducted on eleven male elite ju-jitsu athletes and ten non-athletes. The data was collected with the use of a force plate under two conditions: quiet standing and ju-jitsu combat stance. Apart from the standard analysis of the spatial-temporal parameters of COP, sensitive methods in COP data processing were used, namely rambling-trembling and sample entropy. The non-parametric U Mann-Whitney test was used to compare both positions.Results: The main findings of the study showed that in quiet standing, elite ju-jitsu athletes and non-athletes had comparable postural control in both the anterior-posterior and mediolateral planes. In contrast, elite athletes had lower values of postural sway and higher values of sample entropy in comparison to the non-trainees in the combat stance (p<0.05). The rambling-trembling decomposition of the COP data did not exhibit additional differences between groups beyond the standard analysis.Conclusions: Our results confirmed the importance of a sport-specific environment in investigating the subtle differences in the postural regulation of elite athletes. The sample entropy results indicated more irregular characteristics of postural sway in the elite ju-jitsu athletes, representing more automated postural control.


2010 ◽  
Vol 104 (6) ◽  
pp. 3510-3517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun Gu Kang ◽  
Lewis A. Lipsitz

Distractions affect postural control, but this mechanism is not well understood. Diversion of resources during cognitive stress may lead to decreased motor drive and postural muscle tone. This may appear as decreased postural stiffness and increased postural sway amplitude. We hypothesized that dual tasking leads to decreased stiffness and increased sway amplitude. Postural sway (center of pressure; COP) data were used from 724 participants aged 77.9 ± 5.3 yr, a representative sample of community-dwelling older adults, the MOBILIZE Boston Study cohort. Subjects stood barefoot with eyes open for 30 s per trial on a force plate. Five trials were performed each with and without a serial subtractions-by-3 task. Sway data were fit to a damped oscillator inverted pendulum model. Amplitudes (COP and center of mass), mechanical stiffness, and damping of the sway behavior were determined. Sway amplitudes and damping increased with the dual task ( P < 0.001); stiffness decreased only mediolaterally ( P < 0.001). Those with difficulty doing the dual task exhibited larger sway and less damping mediolaterally ( P ≤ 0.001) and an increased stiffness with dual task anteroposteriorly (interaction P = 0.004). Dual task could still independently explain increases in sway ( P < 0.001) after accounting for stiffness changes. Thus the hypothesis was supported only in mediolateral sway. The simple model helped to explain the dual task related increase of sway only mediolaterally. It also elucidated the differential influence of cognitive function on the mechanics of anteroposterior and mediolateral sway behaviors. Dual task may divert the resources necessary for mediolateral postural control, thus leading to falls.


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