Acute Responses of Postural Alignment, Kinematic Synergy, and Intermuscular Coherence to Postural Muscle Facilitation

Posture Clinical Trial

Official title:

Acute Responses of Postural Alignment, Kinematic Synergy, and Intermuscular Coherence to Postural Muscle Facilitation

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05608850
• Other study ID #: 2021-288-RUC
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: October 25, 2022
• Est. completion date: May 2023

Study information

• Verified date: November 2022
• Source: Radford University
• Contact: Stephen M Glass, PhD
• Phone: 540-831-1959
• Email: smglass1[@]radford.edu
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Clinicians frequently assess and intervene on postural alignment. However, research demonstrating the effects of exercise interventions in moving postural alignment toward an evidence-based standard is lacking. Part of the difficulty in establishing such evidence has been a lack of theory-motivated conceptions of what "good" posture is. In other words, the prevailing understanding of postural alignment is based on the negation of what has been observed to associate with bad outcomes. This study will build upon preliminary findings from our laboratory that define good postural alignment on theoretical grounds. The investigators will measure motion capture and muscle activation patterns during simple postural alignment tasks before and after 1) a corrective exercise intervention, or 2) a control intervention based designed to inhibit superficial muscle tension. The corrective exercise intervention is designed to counteract the natural patterns in which the human skeleton tends to collapse from a standing position under the influence of gravity. The control intervention consists of passive, partner-assisted stretching. Regardless of initial assignment, all participants will crossover (i.e. switch interventions) and repeat the study procedures after a 1-week washout period. Behavioral indicators of movement and nervous system coordination will be used to quantify alignment before and after exercise, as well as the consistency of those alignment patterns with theoretically-defined standards. The knowledge gained from this study will contribute to evidence-based definitions of healthy postural alignment and help identify effective interventions by which clinicians can promote good posture.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 15
• Est. completion date: May 2023
• Est. primary completion date: May 2023
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 40 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy adult
• 18 - 40 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

• Recent (< 6 months) history of lower extremity injury
• Recent (< 6 months) history of other musculoskeletal or neurological disorder affecting balance
• Contraindications to participation in physical activity

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Electromyography
• Kinematics
• Musculoskeletal Equilibrium
• Posture

Intervention

Other:
• Exercise Then Stretch
This arm (sequence) will perform an anti-gravity kinetic chain intervention and then a passive, partner-assisted stretching intervention, separated by a one-week washout period.
• Stretch Then Exercise
This arm (sequence) will perform a passive, partner-assisted stretching intervention and then an anti-gravity kinetic chain intervention , separated by a one-week washout period.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Radford University Carilion	Roanoke	Virginia

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Radford University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Euclidean distance from the vector describing subject-specific, simulated gravitational collapse	This outcome is a cumulative descriptor of segment angle distance from the pattern in which an individual's posture would collapse. The reference point for each individual is calculated using both pre and post-intervention data for a given day.	Immediately before Intervention (Day 1)
Primary	Euclidean distance from the vector describing subject-specific, simulated gravitational collapse	This outcome is a cumulative descriptor of segment angle distance from the pattern in which an individual's posture would collapse. The reference point for each individual is calculated using both pre and post-intervention data for a given day.	Immediately after Intervention (Day 1)
Primary	Euclidean distance from the vector describing subject-specific, simulated gravitational collapse	This outcome is a cumulative descriptor of segment angle distance from the pattern in which an individual's posture would collapse. The reference point for each individual is calculated using both pre and post-intervention data for a given day.	Immediately before Intervention (Day 7)
Primary	Euclidean distance from the vector describing subject-specific, simulated gravitational collapse	This outcome is a cumulative descriptor of segment angle distance from the pattern in which an individual's posture would collapse. The reference point for each individual is calculated using both pre and post-intervention data for a given day.	Immediately after Intervention (Day 7)
Primary	Pooled intermuscular coherence	Weighted average of frequency-domain correlations between muscle pairs belonging to anterior, posterior, and trunk muscle groups.	Immediately before Intervention (Day 1)
Primary	Pooled intermuscular coherence	Weighted average of frequency-domain correlations between muscle pairs belonging to anterior, posterior, and trunk muscle groups.	Immediately after Intervention (Day 1)
Primary	Pooled intermuscular coherence	Weighted average of frequency-domain correlations between muscle pairs belonging to anterior, posterior, and trunk muscle groups.	Immediately before Intervention (Day 7)
Primary	Pooled intermuscular coherence	Weighted average of frequency-domain correlations between muscle pairs belonging to anterior, posterior, and trunk muscle groups.	Immediately after Intervention (Day 7)
Secondary	Top-down kinetic chain continuity	The purpose of this outcome is to quantify the communication of motion from the upper body to the lower body. In a test involving placing hands-on-head and pulling the elbows back as far as possible, the response in the lower body is quantified by posterior rotation of the tibial segment.	Immediately before Intervention (Day 1)
Secondary	Top-down kinetic chain continuity	The purpose of this outcome is to quantify the communication of motion from the upper body to the lower body. In a test involving placing hands-on-head and pulling the elbows back as far as possible, the response in the lower body is quantified by posterior rotation of the tibial segment.	Immediately after Intervention (Day 1)
Secondary	Top-down kinetic chain continuity	The purpose of this outcome is to quantify the communication of motion from the upper body to the lower body. In a test involving placing hands-on-head and pulling the elbows back as far as possible, the response in the lower body is quantified by posterior rotation of the tibial segment.	Immediately before Intervention (Day 7)
Secondary	Top-down kinetic chain continuity	The purpose of this outcome is to quantify the communication of motion from the upper body to the lower body. In a test involving placing hands-on-head and pulling the elbows back as far as possible, the response in the lower body is quantified by posterior rotation of the tibial segment.	Immediately after Intervention (Day 7)