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Updated: Apr 15, 2026
Evaluating Postural Control and Lower-extremity Muscle Activation in Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability
Published on: September 18, 2020
Trunk control impairment is responsible for postural instability during quiet sitting in individuals with cervical
Matija Milosevic1, Kei Masani1, Meredith J Kuipers2
1Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Toronto M5S 3G9E, Ontario, Canada; Neural Engineering and Therapeutics Team, Lyndhurst Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute,University Health Network, 520 Sutherland Drive, Toronto,M4G 3V9, Ontario, Canada.
Background:
Individuals with cervical spinal cord injury usually sustain impairments to the trunk and upper and lower limbs, resulting in compromised sitting balance. The objectives of this study were to: 1) compare postural control of individuals with cervical spinal cord injury and able-bodied individuals; and 2) investigate the effects of foot support and trunk fluctuations on postural control during sitting balance.
Methods:
Ten able-bodied individuals and six individuals with cervical spinal cord injury were asked to sit quietly during two 60s trials. The forces exerted on the seat and the foot support surfaces were measured separately using two force plates. The global centre of pressure sway was obtained from the measurements on the two force plates, and the sway for each force plate was calculated individually.
Findings:
Individuals with spinal cord injury had at least twice as large global and seat sways compared to able-bodied individuals, while foot support sway was not significantly different between the two groups. Comparison between global and seat sways showed that anterior-posterior velocity of global sway was larger compared to the seat sway in both groups.
Interpretation:
Postural control of individuals with cervical spinal cord injury was worse than that of able-bodied individuals. The trunk swayed more in individuals with spinal cord injury, while the stabilization effect of the feet did not differ between the groups. Foot support affected anterior-posterior fluctuations in both groups equally. Thus, trunk control is the dominant mechanism contributing to sitting balance in both able-bodied and spinal cord injury individuals.
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