Effect of Sensory Manipulations on Human Joint Stiffness Strategy and Its Adaptation for Human Dynamic Stability

Sensory input plays an important role to human
posture control system to initiate strategy in order to counterpart any
unbalance condition and thus, prevent fall. In previous study, joint
stiffness was observed able to describe certain issues regarding to
movement performance. But, correlation between balance ability and
joint stiffness is still remains unknown. In this study, joint stiffening
strategy at ankle and hip were observed under different sensory
manipulations and its correlation with conventional clinical test
(Functional Reach Test) for balance ability was investigated. In order
to create unstable condition, two different surface perturbations (tilt
up-tilt (TT) down and forward-backward (FB)) at four different
frequencies (0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 Hz) were introduced. Furthermore,
four different sensory manipulation conditions (include vision and
vestibular system) were applied to the subject and they were asked to
maintain their position as possible. The results suggested that joint
stiffness were high during difficult balance situation. Less balance
people generated high average joint stiffness compared to balance
people. Besides, adaptation of posture control system under repetitive
external perturbation also suggested less during sensory limited
condition. Overall, analysis of joint stiffening response possible to
predict unbalance situation faced by human





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