Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Evaluating Postural Control and Lower-extremity Muscle Activation in Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability
Published on: September 18, 2020
Previous mild traumatic brain injury and postural-control dynamics
Jacob J Sosnoff1, Steven P Broglio, Sunghoon Shin
1Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 906 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. jsosnoff@illinois.edu
Context:
Postural control and cognitive function are adversely affected by acute mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Whether postural-control deficits persist beyond the acute stage in individuals with a history of mTBI is unclear.
Objective:
To determine if postural-control deficits persist in individuals with a history of mTBI.
Design:
Retrospective cross-sectional study.
Setting:
University research laboratory.
Patients Or Other Participants:
As part of an ongoing investigation examining cognitive and motor deficits associated with mTBI, 224 individuals participated in the study. Of these, 62 participants self-reported at least 1 previous physician-diagnosed mTBI.
Intervention(S):
Postural control was assessed using the NeuroCom Sensory Organization Test (SOT) postural-assessment battery.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
The SOT postural assessment yields 4 indices of postural control: a composite balance score, a visual ratio score, a somatosensory score, and a vestibular score. Postural dynamics were also examined by calculating approximate entropy of center-of-pressure excursions in the anteroposterior and mediolateral axis for each test condition.
Results:
Minimal differences in the SOT indices were noted among individuals with and without a history of previous mTBI (P > .05). In the group with a history of mTBI, anteroposterior postural irregularity decreased as postural difficulty increased. In contrast, the group without a history of mTBI displayed increased postural irregularity in the mediolateral direction.
Conclusions:
Individuals with a history of mTBI exhibited altered postural dynamics compared with individuals without a history of mTBI. These findings support the notion that changes in cerebral functioning that affect postural control may persist long after acute injury resolution.
