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Visual information and multi-joint coordination patterns in one-leg stance.

Zheng Wang1, Peter C M Molenaar2, John H Challis1

  • 1Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, United States.

Gait & Posture
|January 7, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Visual information influences how people maintain balance on one leg. Without vision, individuals shift from ankle-focused movements to using their trunk and upper limbs for stability.

Keywords:
Frequency domain PCAMulti-joint coordinationOne-leg stancePostural controlVisual information

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Area of Science:

  • Biomechanics
  • Human motor control
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Maintaining balance during single-leg stance is crucial for daily activities.
  • Postural control involves complex multi-joint coordination strategies.
  • Visual input plays a significant role in sensorimotor adaptation for balance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how visual information affects multi-joint coordination patterns during one-leg stance.
  • To identify distinct postural control strategies employed with and without visual feedback.
  • To understand the interplay between visual input and biomechanical constraints in balance.

Main Methods:

  • 12 participants performed one-leg stance for two 1-minute trials (eyes open vs. eyes closed).
  • Frequency domain principal component analysis (PCAf) analyzed 14 joint angular motion time series in the frontal plane.
  • Identified dominant multi-joint coordination patterns and their kinematic characteristics.

Main Results:

  • Two primary multi-joint postural coordination strategies were identified.
  • Strategy 1 (ankle/knee or ankle only) aligns with 'moving the center of pressure'.
  • Strategy 2 involves trunk and upper limb coordination with the ankle, related to counter-rotational torque against center of mass sway.
  • Participants predominantly used Strategy 1 with eyes open and switched to Strategy 2 when vision was unavailable.

Conclusions:

  • Visual information availability dictates the preferred multi-joint coordination strategy for one-leg stance.
  • The postural control system exhibits redundant and emergent properties, adapting to biomechanical constraints.
  • This highlights the dynamic interplay between task, environment, and individual in maintaining balance.