[Sensory afferences and motor control of equilibrium using static and dynamic posture tests]

One thousand two hundred posturographic tests have been performed since 1988 at the Laboratoire d'Exploration Fonctionnelle ORL, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Nancy-Brabois, using three complementary protocols (Toennis GmBh, G). Static tests [1] measure over 20 seconds periods the displacement of the center of foot pressure (CFP) on individual standing upright on the platform. Dynamic tests assess the mechanisms of balance control following measured platform movements, using surface EMG after a single sharp and unexpected tilt [2], or CFP displacements during longer regular oscillations of the platform [3]. The latter test enables an analysis of balance strategy adopted to maintain equilibrium. These three programs were applied to series of children, adults, elderly people, sportsmen, and patients suffering from ENT, neurological or traumatic disorders. They were confirmed to be complementary tests allowing a thorough investigation of all balance control mechanisms: visual afferences [1], somesthesy [2] and the combination of visual, somesthetic and vestibular afferences in the third test.