New Advances in Human Posture and Movement

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Guest Editor
Department of Science and Physical Activity, University of Québec at Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC G9A 5H7, Canada
Interests: kinesiology; neuroscience; postural control; movement; obesity; aging; physical activity; exercise
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Postural control requires a complex integration of sensory information (visual, vestibular and proprioceptive systems) regarding the position of all body parts, relative to the environment and the ability to generate appropriate motor responses to control body movement. Human standing is a fundamental part of daily living activities and is essentially characterized by the sway of the whole body about the ankle joints. Maintaining upright balance is controlled primarily by the calf muscle that counteracts the destabilizing effect of gravity. Passive stiffness and open loop mechanisms contribute to the regulation of the muscle activity required for stance control. Because control of posture and movement involves many different systems that can be affected by pathology or a specific condition, this Special Issue, “New Advances in Human Posture and Movement”, is dedicated to enlightening current knowledge in this specific field, and authors are invited to submit case reports, original research papers and review articles.

Prof. Dr. Olivier Hue
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • postural control
  • movement control
  • motor learning
  • pathology
  • injury
  • childhood/aging
  • dual task
  • new technology
  • sport/exercise
  • rehabilitation/intervention

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 569 KiB  
Article
Morphotypological Prevalence of Individuals Assessed by the Method of Global Postural Reeducation by Proprioceptive and Muscular Rebalancing (GPR/PMR)
by Nélio Silva de Souza, Renan Ramos Barcellos, Ana Carolina G. Martins, Glória M. M. Vianna da Rosa, Marco A. Araújo Leite, Carla P. Ayres da Silva, Silmar Teixeira and Victor Hugo Bastos
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2018, 3(2), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk3020033 - 1 Jun 2018
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3336
Abstract
Introduction: Postural control integrates information from the visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems, controlling the body position in space. Global Posture Reeducation (GPR) is a clinically well-accepted method that mainly addresses the proprioceptive component of this postural system. Although the GPR presents relevant evidence, [...] Read more.
Introduction: Postural control integrates information from the visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems, controlling the body position in space. Global Posture Reeducation (GPR) is a clinically well-accepted method that mainly addresses the proprioceptive component of this postural system. Although the GPR presents relevant evidence, the postural morphotypology prevalence in the general population is not yet known. Objective: To investigate the morphotypological profile prevalence of individuals evaluated with the GPR method by proprioceptive and muscular rebalancing (GPR/PMR). Methodology: A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed (prevalence analysis) of patients evaluated by the GPR/PMR method at the Physiotherapy School Clinic of the Serra dos Órgãos University Center. The morphotypological evaluation data were collected and stored in a spreadsheet using the Microsoft Office Excel® program, where the prevalence of each morphotypology (opening, closing, and mixed) was calculated. Results: A total of 123 evaluation sheets were analyzed, of which 50 were men (41%) and 74 were women (59%) with a mean age of 46 years. In the morphotypological diagnosis, the following values were observed: closing (n = 107; 87%); opening (n = 6; 5%) and mixed (n = 9; 7%). The postural diagnosis in closing (87%) presented a statistically significant difference, when compared to the morphotypologies in opening (p < 0.0001) and mixed (p < 0.0001). Few subjects in the sample (n = 5), presented a relation between the mixed work position (standing and sitting) and the mixed morphotypology (p < 0.005). Conclusion: The morphotypological profile of the analyzed population appears to be in closing and does not correlate with the individual’s work position. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Human Posture and Movement)
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6 pages, 195 KiB  
Communication
Psychological Pressure Distorts High Jumpers’ Perception of the Height of the Bar
by Yoshifumi Tanaka, Joyo Sasaki, Kenta Karakida, Kana Goto, Yufu M. Tanaka and Takayuki Murayama
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2018, 3(2), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk3020029 - 26 May 2018
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4222
Abstract
The effects of psychological pressure on perceiving the height of a jump bar just before starting a high jump run was investigated. University students (n = 14) training for a high jump event performed 15 trials (3 practice, 6 high-pressure, and 6 [...] Read more.
The effects of psychological pressure on perceiving the height of a jump bar just before starting a high jump run was investigated. University students (n = 14) training for a high jump event performed 15 trials (3 practice, 6 high-pressure, and 6 low-pressure) in counterbalanced order in their daily practice environment. The height of the bar was judged as significantly higher on high-pressure trials compared to low-pressure trials (p = 0.030). A regression analysis indicated that participants who reported increased subjective perceived pressure tended to judge the bar to be higher (r = 0.468, p = 0.091). There was no significant difference between high-pressure and low-pressure trials for the performance index, defined as the success rate (p = 0.209). This study provides the first evidence that environmental perceptions prior to executing a motor task under pressure may make performance of the task appear to be more difficult. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Human Posture and Movement)
830 KiB  
Article
Balance Performance in Collegiate Athletes: A Comparison of Balance Error Scoring System Measures
by Nicole C. Dabbs, Nicole M. Sauls, Alice Zayer and Harish Chander
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2017, 2(3), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk2030026 - 1 Aug 2017
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 7286
Abstract
The assessment of balance among athletes is essential for training, prevention and rehabilitation of injuries resulting from postural instability. The purpose of the investigation was to validate the Sway Medical Balance Application (SMBA) against the Biodex Balance System (BBS) during the Balance Error [...] Read more.
The assessment of balance among athletes is essential for training, prevention and rehabilitation of injuries resulting from postural instability. The purpose of the investigation was to validate the Sway Medical Balance Application (SMBA) against the Biodex Balance System (BBS) during the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) protocol. One hundred and eighty-four Division-II male and female athletes from different sporting disciplines were evaluated using SMBA and BBS while performing all five testing conditions of the BESS. Pearson’s r correlations were used to determine the relationship between the two systems during each of the five conditions and an overall score. The significant relationship and very high correlation between the two systems validates the SMBA as a valid tool that can be used to assess balance in a time- and cost-effective manner in any setting with ease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Human Posture and Movement)
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521 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Haemophilia on the Postural Control of Adolescents
by Hafedh Alaeddine Thabti, Sarah Beausoleil and Olivier Hue
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2017, 2(3), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk2030024 - 12 Jul 2017
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3955
Abstract
A small number of studies have reported that children and adults with haemophilia have impaired balance control and show faster body sway during upright stance than healthy individuals. A decrease of somatosensory information due to multiple bleedings has been suggested to explain this [...] Read more.
A small number of studies have reported that children and adults with haemophilia have impaired balance control and show faster body sway during upright stance than healthy individuals. A decrease of somatosensory information due to multiple bleedings has been suggested to explain this difference. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine if haemophilia is related to a decreased balance control under altered visual and proprioceptive conditions in male adolescents. Postural sway of healthy (n = 12, Age = 14.8 ± 1.4 years; BMI = 19.8 ± 1.8 kg/m2) and haemophiliac (n = 8, Age = 15.0 ± 1.4 years; BMI = 20.4 ± 3.2 kg/m2) male adolescents was measured with a force platform for normal quiet stance lasting 30 s with open and closed eyes on hard and foam floor conditions. The ANOVA revealed a significant Group × Vision × Proprioception (F(1,18) = 5.861, p < 0.05) interaction. Both groups showed an increased centre of pressure (COP) speed when vision and proprioception are challenged. Planned comparisons revealed that the haemophiliac group oscillated at a faster COP speed than the healthy group when vision is altered in hard floor (1.11 ± 0.27 versus 0.76 ± 0.19 cm/s; p < 0.05) and foam floor (6.83 ± 1.68 versus 4.89 ± 1.05 cm/s; p < 0.01) conditions. More important, haemophiliac adolescents were more disturbed by the proprioceptive condition and had a significantly higher COP speed on the foam even if vision is available (3.02 ± 0.47 versus 2.34 ± 0.45 cm/s; p < 0.05) compared to the healthy adolescents. In conclusion, haemophilia clearly affects postural control in altered sensory conditions. Our results suggest that haemophilia has a negative impact on the capacity of male adolescents to adequately use proprioceptive information for posture control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Human Posture and Movement)
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1517 KiB  
Article
Effect of Cervical Kinesthetic Motor Imagery on Postural Control of Healthy Young Adults with Fear of Falling
by Nélio Silva de Souza, Ana Carolina G. Martins, Caroline L. Ferreira, Yasmin S. Motizuki, Christiano B. Machado, Marco Orsini, Marco Antônio A. Leite and Victor Hugo Bastos
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2017, 2(2), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk2020021 - 19 Jun 2017
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3813
Abstract
Motor imagery (MI) is the act of coding the mental aspect of an intended task without executing it. Fear consists of an anxiogenic response to a previous event, which provides a state of alertness to the individual in the face of a threat. [...] Read more.
Motor imagery (MI) is the act of coding the mental aspect of an intended task without executing it. Fear consists of an anxiogenic response to a previous event, which provides a state of alertness to the individual in the face of a threat. These two conditions (imagery and fear) may modulate orthostatic postural control, but their combined effect is still unknown. To investigate whether cervical kinesthetic motor imagery induces modulations in postural control and in the fear of falling (FoF) sensation in healthy young adults. Participants (n = 20) were placed on the Wii Balance Board® and oriented to perform and imagine three tasks for 60 s: (1) closed eyes; (2) cervical flexion; and (3) cervical inclination. The number of performed and imagined repetitions were recorded, and participants responded to a question at the end of each task regarding the FoF. There were four relevant effects: (1) there was no difference between the number of performed and imagined repetitions (p > 0.05) indicating similarities; (2) there was a greater sensation of FoF induced by kinesthetic MI tasks (p < 0.001); (3) there was a greater modulation of the center of pressure (mean velocity and amplitude) in the anteroposterior direction in phobic subjects (p < 0.05); and (4) there was no modulation between the non-phobic subjects in the anteroposterior direction (p > 0.05). The FoF during kinesthetic MI tasks may influence the orthostatic postural control, favoring the reduction in postural stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Human Posture and Movement)
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1237 KiB  
Article
Increased Corticospinal Excitability and Muscular Activity in a Lower Limb Reaction Task under Psychological Pressure
by Yoshifumi Tanaka and Tatsunori Shimo
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2017, 2(2), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk2020014 - 12 May 2017
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5149
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of psychological pressure on corticospinal excitability, the spinal reflex, lower limb muscular activity, and reaction times during a task involving dominant leg movements. Ten healthy participants performed a simple reaction time task [...] Read more.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of psychological pressure on corticospinal excitability, the spinal reflex, lower limb muscular activity, and reaction times during a task involving dominant leg movements. Ten healthy participants performed a simple reaction time task by raising the heel of their dominant foot from a switch. After 20 practice trials, participants performed 20 non-pressure and 20 pressure trials in a counterbalanced order. A combination of pressure manipulations, including reward and penalty by monetary incentives, was used in the pressure trials. Stress responses were successfully induced, as indexed by significant increases in state anxiety, mental effort, and heart rates under pressure. Significant increases in motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude of the tibialis anterior muscle (TA) occurred under pressure. In terms of task-related electromyography (EMG) amplitude, the co-contraction rate between the soleus (SOL) and TA muscles significantly increased along with SOL and TA EMG amplitudes under pressure. Hoffmann reflexes for SOL and reaction times did not change under pressure. These results indicate that corticospinal excitability and leg muscle-related EMG activity increase homogeneously during lower limb movements that are performed under psychological pressure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Human Posture and Movement)
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