Postural Stability
Postural Stability - Related Videos
14:52
Computerized Dynamic Posturography for Postural Control Assessment in Patients with Intermittent Claudication
0 Views •
Cited by 57 •
2013
Individuals with intermittent claudication exhibit poor balance compared to healthy controls. Computerized dynamic posturography is an objective method for measuring an individual's postural responses to balance disturbances. This provides an objective reflection of the person’s ability to respond to situations under which sensory stimuli are altered and unexpected perturbations occur.
09:37
Substantiating Appropriate Motion Capture Techniques for the Assessment of Nordic Walking Gait and Posture in Older Adults
0 Views •
Cited by 5 •
2016
The aim was to substantiate optimal use of data collection techniques for Nordic walking gait and posture analysis. Three-dimensional motion capture should be used during short duration analysis (i.e. single gait cycle), while accelerometry should be employed for longer duration analysis (i.e. repeated cycles) like a 6 Minute Walk Test.
03:18
Nuclear Stability
0 Views •
2020
Protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons, are packed together tightly in a nucleus. With a radius of about 10−15 meters, a nucleus is quite small compared to the radius of the entire atom, which is about 10−10 meters. Nuclei are extremely dense compared to bulk matter, averaging 1.8 × 1014 grams per cubic centimeter. If the earth’s density were equal to the average nuclear density, the earth’s radius would be only about 200 meters. To hold positively charged protons together in the...
01:53
RNA Stability
0 Views •
2019
Intact DNA strands can be found in fossils, while scientists sometimes struggle to keep RNA intact under laboratory conditions. The structural variations between RNA and DNA underlie the differences in their stability and longevity. Because DNA is double-stranded, it is inherently more stable. The single-stranded structure of RNA is less stable but also more flexible and can form weak internal bonds. Additionally, most RNAs in the cell are relatively short, while DNA can be up to 250 million...
12:18
An Instrumented Pull Test to Characterize Postural Responses
0 Views •
Cited by 1 •
2019
Impairment of postural reflexes, termed postural instability, is difficult to quantify. Clinical assessments such as the pull test suffer issues with reliability and scaling. Here, we present an instrumented version of the pull test to objectively characterize postural responses.
FAQs
These sensory systems provide complementary information about body orientation and movement. Visual input relates the body to its surroundings, vestibular information contributes to orientation, and proprioception supplies signals about body position. The nervous system integrates these sources rather than relying on one alone, allowing researchers to examine how stability changes when sensory conditions shift.
Anticipatory muscle activity prepares the body for an expected movement or disturbance, while corrective activity responds after balance has been challenged. Their coordination depends on spinal and supraspinal pathways, meaning control involves both local neural circuits and higher nervous system centers. Studying their interaction helps clarify how the nervous system organizes stable movement before and after perturbations.
Changing sensory conditions can alter the information available for controlling orientation, while perturbations test how effectively the nervous system detects and corrects instability. Researchers use these challenges to distinguish basic maintenance of balance from adaptive control. The resulting responses provide insight into sensory integration, corrective coordination, and the capacity to adjust motor behavior to environmental demands.
An assessment examines how a person controls body orientation, responds to perturbations, and adapts when sensory information changes. Rather than treating balance as a single behavior, this approach evaluates the interaction of sensory processing and motor responses. These observations can reveal differences in motor control and help characterize how the brain and body manage stability.
This research is useful for investigating motor control across aging, vestibular dysfunction, and neurological disorders. Comparisons across these contexts can show whether difficulty arises from altered sensory information, impaired neural coordination, or limited adaptation to changing conditions. Such findings help connect observable balance behavior with underlying nervous-system function and guide questions for further study.
Measurements of responses to perturbations and changing sensory conditions can identify weaknesses in orientation control, sensory integration, or corrective muscle activity. Rehabilitation strategies can then focus on improving functional movement and reducing fall risk. The broader value is practical as well as scientific: assessments link neural control mechanisms with safer interaction with the environment.