European journal of applied physiology
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Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. · Jul 2012
Experimental knee pain impairs postural stability during quiet stance but not after perturbations.
The objective of this study was to examine the effect of experimental knee-related pain on postural control. Twelve healthy subjects stood as quietly as possible on a movable force platform (that measured the centre of pressure and provided fast perturbations) before, during, and after experimental knee-related pain. Lower limb electromyographic (EMG) activity and joint angles were measured. ⋯ The additional impairment by bilateral pain suggests that the non-painful limb in unilateral pain conditions compensates for the impaired postural control. These results show that knee-related pain impairs postural stability during quiet standing, indicating the vulnerability of patients with knee pain to falls. This measure could potentially help clinicians who seek to assess how pain responses may contribute to patient's postural control and stability during quiet standing.