Chapter 17: Balance Training Concepts Flashcards
Center of Gravity
The approximate midpoint of the body; while the location may vary between individuals, it is typically located at the midportion of the trunk.
Base of support
The area beneath a person that consists of every point of contact made between the body and the support surface.
Limits of stability
The area within which an individual can move one’s center of gravity without changing the base of support (i.e., moving the feet) without falling.
Static balance
The ability to maintain the center of mass within the base of support in a stationary position, meaning no linear or angular movement.
Semi-dynamic balance
The ability to maintain the center of mass with a stationary base of support yet allowing movement for the base supporting the body.
Dynamic balance
The ability to maintain a center of mass over an ever-changing base of support.
Vestibular system
Provides information about the position of the body and head, and spatial orientation relative to its surrounding environment; located in the inner ears that assist with balance.
Somatosensory system
Provides information that is acquired from receptors in the body (skin, muscle, joints, tendons) about the position and motion of the body parts relative to other body regions and the support surface.
Sensorimotor function
The interaction between the way the body processes visual, vestibular, and somatosensory information with the motor response of the body to that information.
Neuromuscular control
The response (conscious or unconscious) of the muscles within the body to control purposeful movement.
Perturbation
An alteration of the body’s current state caused by the application of an external force.
Proprioceptively enriched environment
An unstable (yet controllable) exercise environment that causes the body to use its internal balance and stabilization mechanisms.
