Gait & posture
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Whole-body vibration versus proprioceptive training on postural control in post-menopausal osteopenic women.
To prevent falls in the elderly, especially those with low bone density, is it necessary to maintain muscle coordination and balance. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of classical balance training (BAL) and whole-body vibration training (VIB) on postural control in post-menopausal women with low bone density. ⋯ Strength training combined with either proprioceptive training or whole-body vibration was associated with improvements in some, but not all, measures of postural control in post-menopausal women with low bone density. The current study could not provide evidence for a significantly different impact of whole-body vibration or balance training on postural control.
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Postural steadiness while standing is impaired in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and could be potentially associated with increased reliance on visual inputs. The purpose of this study was to compare individuals with SCI and able-bodied participants on their use of visual inputs to maintain standing postural steadiness. Another aim was to quantify the association between visual contribution to achieve postural steadiness and a clinical balance scale. ⋯ The Romberg ratios (eyes open/eyes closed) for COP MV and SA were significantly higher for individuals with SCI, indicating a higher contribution of visual inputs for postural steadiness in that population. Romberg ratios for RMS and SA were significantly associated with the Mini-BESTest. This study highlights the contribution of visual inputs in individuals with SCI when maintaining quasi-static standing posture.
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Our previous study showed that 6 months after total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA), patients reported having less difficulty with daily activities, showed better functional capacity, and performed activities in their natural environment faster compared to preoperatively. However, their actual daily activity level was not significantly improved. Six months is a rather short follow-up period and the discrepancy in recovery among different aspects of functioning might be explained by this limited duration of follow-up. ⋯ However, the patients continued to improve in other aspects of physical functioning. In conclusion, 4-year post-surgery patients continued to improve on perceived physical functioning, capacity, and performance of activities in daily life. However, even in this relatively healthy study population, patients did not adopt a more active lifestyle 4 years after surgery.
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Quantitative analysis of gait and balance response to deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease.
Gait and balance disturbances in Parkinson's disease (PD) can be debilitating and may lead to increased fall risk. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a treatment option once therapeutic benefits from medication are limited due to motor fluctuations and dyskinesia. Optimizing DBS parameters for gait and balance can be significantly more challenging than for other PD motor symptoms. ⋯ Correlation coefficients between at least one kinematic feature and corresponding UPDRS scores were greater than 0.75 for six of the seven items. Kinematic features improved (p<0.05) from DBS-OFF to DBS-ON for three UPDRS items. Despite achieving high correlations with the UPDRS, evaluating individual kinematic features may help address inter-rater reliability issues and rater bias associated with focusing on different aspects of a motor task.
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Despite the growing recognition of the role of abnormal hip and knee mechanics in patellofemoral pain (PFP), few studies have assessed if or how these mechanics change when the person experiences pain while running. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if the development of pain while running resulted in altered hip and knee kinematics in female runners with PFP as compared to healthy female runners. ⋯ Runners with PFP did not alter their hip mechanics over the course of the run. This may have resulted in repetitive stress to the same aspect of the patellofemoral joint and contributed to the initial development of pain. However, the PFP group did attempt to make a compensation once in pain by reducing knee external rotation.