View clinical trials related to Musculoskeletal Equilibrium.
Filter by:Postural alignment is often intervened upon in health, fitness, and physical medicine settings. Despite a long tradition in this area, current notions of optimal or normal posture are superficial and often logically inconsistent. A recent attempt to reconcile diverging opinions about good posture proposes that alignment be considered in relation to individual joints' natural tendencies to collapse under gravity. This theory allows different maladaptive postures to be described in terms of functional deficits and compensatory adaptations at the muscular level. Working within this type of theory, postural interventions may be able to account for comparative advantages in maintaining alignment between different muscle systems. This would represent a step forward from current practices, which usually attempt to force arbitrary alignment patterns indiscriminately. The current study presents motion capture and electromyography (EMG) data evaluating the effects of two interventions on individual participants' bipedal standing alignment patterns with respect to the gravitational collapsing tendencies referenced above. Additional outcomes included functional grouping of muscle activation signals (via intermuscular coherence) and kinetic chain continuity. The interventions include 1) an experimental intervention purported to engage muscles that naturally resist the collapsing effects of gravity, and 2) a control intervention designed to inhibit other muscle groups that are sometimes involved in maintaining bipedal alignment in a compensatory role. Study outcomes are measured before and after both interventions to quantify the acute effects of each. All participants complete both interventions in random order, crossing over after a one-week washout period. This research will provide insight into the acute effects of studied interventions, specifically those relating to maintenance of bipedal alignment with respect to gravitational collapsing tendencies.
The ability to maintain balance and avoid falling is highly dependent on the ability to locate objects and architectural features in the environment. This need to continually monitor the environment as one moves about in daily life suggests a critical role for visual attention, gaze control, and spatial memory, all of which are known to decline with aging. In this study, the investigators will test the efficacy of a computer-based visual-training program designed to improve the ability to rapidly extract information from the peripheral visual field. It is expected that older adults involved in the visual training intervention will improve the speed, accuracy, and effectiveness of reach-to-grasp balance-recovery reactions evoked by sudden unpredictable balance perturbation.
The purpose is to study the effect of chiropractic care on balance in older adults.
The effect of chiropractic manipulation on spine-related pain and balance in older adults.
To study the effect of chiropractic care and a specific exercise program on balance in older adults.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate a 5-week intervention program targeted at improving balance and functional skills for people with stroke.
The overall purpose of this study is to develop an improved gait analysis system for the real time acquisition, calculation and interpretation of joint kinematic and kinetic information using linked segment body model animation to display and visually depict deviations from normal motion and joint function. Patients referred to the laboratory for clinical gait analysis are invited to participate in the project. If interested, subjects are informed by a study investigator of the study goals, procedures, risks and any benefits. A study investigator is responsible for obtaining informed consent. Data from normal subjects are used to establish a normative database. Data from other subjects contributes to the relevant databases of different disorders.