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Review
. 2015:2015:891390.
doi: 10.1155/2015/891390. Epub 2015 Nov 12.

Techniques and Methods for Testing the Postural Function in Healthy and Pathological Subjects

Thierry Paillard  1 , Frédéric Noé  1
Affiliations
Review

Techniques and Methods for Testing the Postural Function in Healthy and Pathological Subjects

Thierry Paillard et al. Biomed Res Int. 2015.

Abstract

The different techniques and methods employed as well as the different quantitative and qualitative variables measured in order to objectify postural control are often chosen without taking into account the population studied, the objective of the postural test, and the environmental conditions. For these reasons, the aim of this review was to present and justify the different testing techniques and methods with their different quantitative and qualitative variables to make it possible to precisely evaluate each sensory, central, and motor component of the postural function according to the experiment protocol under consideration. The main practical and technological methods and techniques used in evaluating postural control were explained and justified according to the experimental protocol defined. The main postural conditions (postural stance, visual condition, balance condition, and test duration) were also analyzed. Moreover, the mechanistic exploration of the postural function often requires implementing disturbing postural conditions by using motor disturbance (mechanical disturbance), sensory stimulation (sensory manipulation), and/or cognitive disturbance (cognitive task associated with maintaining postural balance) protocols. Each type of disturbance was tackled in order to facilitate understanding of subtle postural control mechanisms and the means to explore them.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Illustration of the different foot positions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The disturbance of one (a) or two (b) sensors leads to an increase in the sensory contribution of other sensors (not disturbed) in postural regulation. The disturbance is indicated by a star-shaped sign while the increase in sensory contribution is indicated by an arrow.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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