Moving beyond quiet stance: applicability of the inverted pendulum model to stooping and crouching postures

Postural control and trunk stability on sway parameters in adults with and without chronic low back pain

BACKGROUND

Postural sway changes often reflect functional impairments in adults with chronic low back pain (LBP). However, there is a gap in understanding how these individuals adapt their postural strategies to maintain stability.

PURPOSE

This study investigated postural sway distance and velocity, utilizing the center of pressure (COP) and center of gravity (COG), between adults with and without LBP during repeated unilateral standing trials.

METHODS

Twenty-six subjects with LBP and 39 control subjects participated in the study. Postural sway ranges, COP/COG sways, and sway velocities (computed by dividing path length by time in anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) directions over 10 s) were analyzed across three unilateral standing trials.

RESULTS

A significant group interaction in sway range difference was observed following repeated trials (F = 5.90, p = 0.02). For COG sway range, significant group interactions were demonstrated in both directions (F = 4.28, p = 0.04) and repeated trials (F = 5.79, p = 0.02). The LBP group demonstrated reduced ML sway velocities in the first (5.21 ± 2.43 for the control group, 4.16 ± 2.33 for the LBP group; t = 1.72, p = 0.04) and second (4.87 ± 2.62 for the control group, 3.79 ± 2.22 for the LBP group; t = 1.73, p = 0.04) trials.

CONCLUSION

The LBP group demonstrated decreased ML sway velocities to enhance trunk stability in the initial two trials. The COG results emphasized the potential use of trunk strategies in augmenting postural stability and optimizing neuromuscular control during unilateral standing.

Joint Angle Coordination Strategies During Whole Body Rotations on a Single Lower-Limb Support: An Investigation Through Ballet Pirouettes

Despite the prevalence of turning maneuvers in everyday life, relatively little research has been conducted on joint angle kinematic coordination during whole-body rotations around a vertical axis. Ballet pirouettes provide an opportunity to study dynamically balanced, whole-body rotations on a single support and the potential to scale results to smaller angular displacements executed by general populations. The purpose of this study was to determine the supporting limb's ankle, knee, hip, and pelvis-trunk joint angle excursions and kinematic coordination strategies utilized during the pirouette's turn phase. Advanced dancers (n = 6) performed pirouettes while whole-body 3-dimensional kinematics were recorded. Group mean ankle ab/adduction excursion was significantly greater than all other excursions (P < .05). Principal components analysis was applied to joint angle time-series data (4 joints × 3 degrees of freedom = 12 variables). The first 4 principal components explained 92% (2%) of variance, confirming redundancy in joint angle data. Evolution of the data along the first principal component in successful pirouettes oscillated at the pirouette's rotational frequency. Principal component eigenvector coefficients provided evidence of ankle-hip coordination, although specific coordination patterns varied between individuals and across trials. These results indicate that successful pirouettes are executed with continuous, oscillatory joint angle coordination patterns.

Stooping, crouching, and standing - Characterizing balance control strategies across postures

BACKGROUND

While stooping and crouching postures are critical for many activities of daily living, little is known about the balance control mechanisms employed during these postures. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to characterize the mechanisms driving net center of pressure (COP_Net) movement across three postures (standing, stooping, and crouching) and to investigate if control in each posture was influenced by time.

METHODS

Ten young adults performed the three postures for 60s each. Kinetic signals were collected via a force platform under each foot. To quantify mechanisms of control, correlations (Correl_LR) were calculated between the left and right COP trajectories in the anterior-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) directions. To examine the potential effects of time on balance control strategies, outcomes during the first 30s were compared to the last 30s.

RESULTS

Correl_LR values did not differ across postures (AP: p = 0.395; ML: p = 0.647). Further, there were no main effects of time on Correl_LR (AP: p = 0.976; ML: p = 0.105). A significant posture-time interaction was observed in the ML direction (p = 0.045) characterized by 35% decreases in Correl_LR over time for stooping (p = 0.022).

CONCLUSION

The dominant controllers of sway (i.e., AP: ankle plantar/dorsi flexors; ML: hip load/unload mechanism) are similar across quiet stance stooping, and crouching. Changes in ML control strategies over time suggests that fatigue could affect prolonged stooping more so than crouching or standing.