The effect of changes in body mass distribution on feed-forward postural control: a pilot study

In the past few decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the overweight and obese population. Relatively minimal research has addressed how drastic body weight changes that mimic going from normal to obese affect control of posture. The present work investigated the effects of changes in body mass on feed-forward postural control. The addition of extra weights simulated overweight and obesity conditions. Electromyogram (EMG) from leg and trunk muscles and force platform data were collected during a load catching task. EMG activities were integrated within typical time intervals to quantify feed-forward postural control. A 20% and 40% increase of the body weight was associated with larger feed-forward postural control and larger displacements of center of pressure (COP).