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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Measurement of Vibration Detection Threshold and Tactile Spatial Acuity in Human Subjects

Measurement of Vibration Detection Threshold and Tactile Spatial Acuity in Human Subjects

Published on: September 1, 2016

Haptic touch reduces sway by increasing axial tone.

E Franzén¹, V S Gurfinkel, W G Wright

¹Department of Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA. erika.franzen@ki.se

|November 20, 2010

Summary

Haptic touch, like lightly touching a stable surface, significantly increases postural tone and reduces body sway. This suggests somatosensory input enhances stability by altering axial muscle activity.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Biomechanics
Human Motor Control

Background:

Postural sway, or body instability, is a significant concern, especially in older adults.
Haptic feedback from stable surfaces is known to improve postural stability, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
This study investigates the role of axial postural tone in mediating the effects of haptic input on balance.

Purpose of the Study:

To determine if haptic touch influences axial postural tone.
To examine the relationship between changes in axial postural tone and postural sway.
To explore the potential neural control strategies involved in haptic-guided postural control.

Main Methods:

14 healthy adults stood on a platform that oscillated in yaw.
Hip torque (axial postural tone) and sway were measured under three conditions: no touch, light touch, and firm grip of a stable bar.
A 'Twister' device fixed the upper body while oscillating the surface.

Main Results:

Haptic touch significantly increased hip postural tone by approximately 40% in both light touch and firm grip conditions.
Increased hip postural tone was strongly correlated with a reduction in postural sway (r=-0.55, P=0.001).
Subjects' perception shifted from trunk to surface rotation, indicating a change in the reference frame for postural control.

Conclusions:

This study provides the first evidence that axial postural tone can be modulated by remote somatosensory input.
Increased axial postural tone, induced by haptic touch, is a key mechanism for enhancing postural stability.
The central nervous system appears to adopt a more localized reference frame for postural control when utilizing haptic feedback.