Week 5 Sensory Motor Interaction

Question 1

Sensory Input is Critical to Healthy Movement
• Disk and Chair study
o Low level LBP so that pain is not a factor
o Protocol: Disk that rotates underneath participant and they adjust to realign themselves again
o Participants did not adjust because they could not tell that they were misaligned > patients who suffer from LLBP may keep getting recurring injuries b/c they can’t detect where they are in space

Question 2

• Vibrator study
o Protocol: Participants asked to forward bend and back up
Healthy individuals:
• w/ Vibrator OFF - (can/can’t) complete
• w/ Vibrator ON - (can/can’t) get to center
Participants w/ LBP:
• w/ Vibrator ON - (can/can’t) get back to straight every time
• w/ Vibrator OFF - (can/can’t) complete (they undershoot/they overshoot)
o THEORY: Participants with recurrent to chronic LBP
 vibrator acts as a sensory enhancer to accentuate the sensory information to the spine to the brain

Answer 2

can; can’t; can; can’t

Question 3

• Dr. Song study
o Acute to subacute LBP with NPS of 1/10 - pain not a factor
o Protocol: balance themselves on a ball; study measuring center of pressure
 people with no LBP - no issue
 people with acute level LBP w/ symptoms resolved
• EYES OPENED: okay
• EYES CLOSED (sensory feedback gone): (able/not able) to be stable
We recommend canes not used to offload - but for sensory feedback
• Patients w/ lower limb issues (TKA, THA, Lumbar radiculopathy)
• Mean Pain: 1.2/10 (+/- 1.1) (LOW - non-factor)
• Mean limb symmetry index (88.7 (+/- 2.4) (HIGH - non-factor)
o But balance scale was very poor
• Took cane and attached a wheel to the end of the cane so that it rolls as the participants walked
• Balance skyrocketed b/c pt are getting continuous sensory feedback!
• More sensory input > (diminishes/enhances) balance
o Able to adjust

Answer 3

not able; enhances