Postural Control Flashcards
Why is it important to assess balance?
- 30% of individuals over 65 experience 1 or more falls per year
- Falls are the leading cause of TBI and death in individuals over 65
- Falls decrease balance confidence and cause fear
- Falls account for 40% of hospital visits in individuals over 65
What are intrinsic factors that predicts falls?
- Decreased balance
- Mobility
- Functional skills
- Gait speed
- LE weakness
- Decreased vibration sense in feet
- Medications
- Orthostatic hypotension
- Impaired cognitive function
What is postural control?
The ability to control the body’s position in space with respect to gravity, support surfaces, visual surround, and internal surfaces
What is stability?
The ability to control the COM in relation to the BOS under static and dynamic conditions
What is orientation?
The relationship between the body’s segments, the body, and the environment
What are the 6 main factors that influence postural control?
- Biomechanical restraints
- Stability limits/verticality
- Anticipatory postural adjustments
- Postural responses
- Sensory orientation
- Stability in gait
Which tasks should you use to observe movement patterns to identify balance deficits?
- Sit
- Sit to stand
- Walk and turn
- Step up/down
- Reach/grasp manipulate
How can you identify balance deficits in patients?
- Observe movement patterns
- Include task progressions and regressions during assessment
- Include balance outcome measures
What types of balance do we assess?
- Steady state postural control
- Anticipatory postural control
- Reactive postural control
What is a deficit in postural movement strategies?
- Deficits related to abnormal postural movement strategies
- Can be observed in steady state, anticipatory, or reactive balance
What is a deficit in sensory processing?
- Deficit related to abnormal sensory processing
- Can be observed in steady state, anticipatory, or reactive balance
What is a deficit in balance confidence?
- Deficit related to fear of fall/reduced self-efficacy
- Can be observed in steady state and anticipatory balance
What is a deficit in verticality?
- Deficit related to impaired orientation with respect to gravity
- Can be observed in steady state balance
What is a deficit in executive function/multitask ability?
- Deficit is related to impair dual task ability
- Can be observed anticipatory balance
What is “limits of stability” in terms of steady state balance?
How far an individual can weight shift outside their BOS without taking a step or losing their balance (dependent on individual characteristics such as height, foot length, etc.)
What is “narrowing BOS” in terms of steady state balance?
Stances such as romberg (feet together), sharpened romberg (tandem), and single leg stance
What is static sitting/standing balance?
The ability to achieve and maintain neutral alignment even when supported on a higher compliance surface or eyes are closed
What is anticipatory postural control?
- Postural muscle activity anticipates the voluntary movement, ensuring stability of the body during performance of a task (feedforward mechanism)
- The ability to move from and return to neutral alignment while performing a functional task (reaching, head turns, crossing leg)
What is reactive postural control?
- Ability to respond to sensory input that signals a need for a response to maintain postural control
- Response is unanticipated (feedback mechanism)
What are some strategies individuals use in reactive postural control in standing?
- Ankle strategy
- Hip strategy
- Stepping strategy
What is the ankle strategy?
- Response to small, slow perturbations
- Ankle muscles activate to keep COM within BOS
- Tib anterior will activate if perturbation comes from anterior (pushed backwards)
- Plantar flexors will activate if perturbation comes from posterior (pushed forwards)
What is the hip strategy?
- Response to larger, faster perturbation
- Quadriceps (hip flexors) will activate if perturbation comes from posterior (pushed forward)
- Hamstrings (hip extensors) will activate if perturbation comes from anterior (pushed backwards)