Postural stability of athletes in Special Olympics

To assess body equilibrium in athletes with intellectual disability, 60 adults with intellectual disability (30 Down syndrome, 30 nonsyndromic) participating in the 2005 Italian Special Olympics games were tested, and data for 30 healthy control adults were tested. Each subject performed four posturographic tests with open eyes, open eyes and cotton rolls between antagonist teeth, and closed eyes and cotton rolls between teeth. For each subject and test, oscillations of the body's center of foot pressure on a force platform were measured. Comparisons of the center of foot pressure sway area between groups were computed. Ratios of the sway area for the center of foot pressure among experimental conditions were compared for all athletes. The athletes with Down syndrome had larger sway of center of foot pressure area than controls and smaller than that of athletes for the nonsyndromic. All participants oscillated less with open eyes than with closed eyes. The cotton rolls reduced the sway area for the center of foot pressure by participants, while athletes with intellectual disability showed larger body sway than healthy ones, but cotton rolls between the teeth seemed to improve their postural performance.