Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026

A Vibrotactile Feedback Device for Seated Balance Assessment and Training
Published on: January 20, 2019
Dynamic balance sensory motor control and symmetrical or asymmetrical equilibrium training
Emmanuel Guillou1, Philippe Dupui, Eveline Golomer
1Laboratoire Action, Mouvement, Adaptation, EA 4070, UFR STAPS Paris V, Université René Descartes, 1 rue Lacretelle, 75015 Paris, France. emmanuel_guillou@yahoo.fr
Objective:
Determine whether symmetrical or asymmetrical equilibrium training can enhance the proprioceptive input of the left versus right supporting leg (SL) motor control.
Methods:
Proprioceptive input was tested using a seesaw platform through a cross-sectional study. The total spectral energy was recorded and divided into 0-2 and 2-20Hz frequency bands. Experts in asymmetrical tasks (soccer players) were compared to experts in symmetrical tasks (dancers, acrobats) and untrained subjects according to pitch versus roll imbalance direction on each SL.
Results:
Regarding the low frequency band, spectral energy values were lower for experts than for untrained subjects in the roll direction only, whatever the SL (p<0.05). Regarding the high frequency band, spectral energy values were lower for the left SL compared to the right one for soccer players only (p<0.05). Furthermore, soccer players also exhibited lower values than other subjects on the left SL.
Conclusions:
Asymmetrical equilibrium training minimizes the proprioceptive input, emphasizing the role of the biomechanical component in postural regulation.
Significance:
Testing athletes on a spontaneous unstable platform is a way to accurately discriminate each SL performance for one type of sport training. In sport medicine rehabilitation, injured SL could be detected with this protocol comparing it with healthy SL.
Related Concept Videos
Equilibrium and Balance
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways
Indirect Motor Pathways
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...
Rigid Body Equilibrium Problems - I
Rigid Body Equilibrium Problems - II
Consider two children sitting on a seesaw, which has negligible mass. The first child has a mass (m1) of 26 kg and sits at point A, which is 1.6 meters (r1) from the pivot point B; the second child has a mass (m2) of 32 kg and sits at point C. How far from the pivot point B should the second child sit (r2) to balance the seesaw?
