Harnessing the Power of a Novel Program for Dynamic Balance Perturbation with Supported Body Weight.

This study investigated the sensitivity of our assessment tool under different BWS conditions and muscle responses during postural adjustments following perturbation at different directions. Fifteen neurologically intact participants performed self-initiated postural adjustments under conditions with: (1) no harness; (2) harness with no BWS; and (3) harness with 10% BWS. Postural adjustment time and muscle activities of the lower leg were measured. We observed significant increases in postural adjustment time in the harness with no BWS condition and differneces in lower leg muscles response to virtual perturbation. Our findings suggest that the combination of our customized program with EMG is a sensitive and convenient tool to measure postural adjustments that approximate real-world scenarios. This method can be used with light body weight support to ensure safety without influencing muscle synergies.
PMID: 31608808 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Journal of Motor Behavior - October 15, 2019 Category: Neurology Tags: J Mot Behav Source Type: research