A Pilot Study to Evaluate the Relationships between Supine Proprioception Assessments and Upright Functional Mobility

Area of Science:

• Human physiology
• Neuroscience
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Prolonged bed rest leads to deconditioning, impairing postural and locomotor control.
• Predictive assessment tools are needed to understand post-bedrest functional recovery.
• Current assessments may not fully capture deconditioning effects relevant to upright function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and pilot a supine proprioceptive assessment tool.
• To investigate the association between supine proprioceptive measures and upright functional mobility.
• To validate a novel tilt board system for future bedrest studies.

Main Methods:

• Developed a vertical tilt board with a horizontal air-bearing sled for supine assessments.
• Participants performed dynamic (double-leg stance) and static (single-leg stance) tilt tasks.
• Measured performance against virtual targets and correlated with an upright functional mobility task (FMT).

Main Results:

• Dynamic supine proprioceptive tasks significantly correlated with FMT completion time.
• Static dominant-leg task showed a moderate trend with FMT completion time.
• Results suggest supine proprioception is linked to upright ambulation.

Conclusions:

• Supine proprioceptive assessments show potential for predicting upright functional performance.
• The developed tilt board system is a promising tool for bedrest deconditioning studies.
• This approach may enhance understanding of sensorimotor control changes after inactivity.