Postural control and balance in a cohort of healthy people living in Europe: An observational study.

Author: Patti A1, Bianco A1, Şahin N2, Sekulic D3, Paoli A4, Iovane A1, Messina G1,5, Gagey PM6, Palma A1,7
Affiliation:
1Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Italy.
2Faculty of Sport Science, Ankara University, Turkey.
3Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, Teslina 6, Split, Croatia.
4Department of Biomedical Science, University of Padua, Italy.
5Posturalab Italy, Palermo, Italy.
6Institut de posturologie, Paris, France.
7Regional Sport School of Sicily CONI (Olympic National Italian Committee), Palermo, Italy.
Conference/Journal: Medicine (Baltimore).
Date published: 2018 Dec
Other: Volume ID: 97 , Issue ID: 52 , Pages: e13835 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000013835. , Word Count: 212


In the past 20 years, posturography has been widely used in the medical field. This observational study aimed to report the values derived from posturography of a wide set of healthy subjects from various European countries using a plantar pressure platform and a standardized method of measurement.A random cluster sampling of 914 healthy subjects aged between 7.0 and 85.99 years, stratified by age, was carried out. To provide percentile values of our cohort, data were processed to obtain 3 curves corresponding to the following percentiles: 25th, 50th, 75th, and the interquartile range. Distance-weighted least squares method was used to represent the percentile on appropriate graphs.In our sample, the balance to improve with age, up to approximately 45 years, but the trend to reverse with older age. The data show that the oscillations on the sagittal plane (y-mean) change with advancing age. Young people had more retro-podalic support than older people; the balance shifted forward in elderly people.As the study included a relatively large quantity of data collected using a standardized protocol, these results could be used as normative values of posturography for similar populations. On the basis of this data, correct diagnostic clues will be available to clinicians and professionals in the field. However, further studies are needed to confirm our findings.

PMID: 30593180 DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000013835

BACK