Sensory integration and standing balance in adolescent taekwondo practitioners

Taekwondo (TKD) is a popular sport among adolescents. This study aims to (a) compare the balance performance between adolescent TKD practitioners at different levels of expertise with nonpractitioners and (b) determine the sensory system(s) that contributed to the balance function in adolescents with and without TKD training. Subjects with >5 years of TKD training (n = 11), <4 years of training (n = 10), and no training (n = 10) participated in this study. The sway velocity, somatosensory, vestibular and visual ratios were recorded during standing on a balance testing system. Both short- and long-term TKD practitioners swayed slower than control subjects when standing on one leg (p = .016 and 0.012, respectively). However, only short-term practitioners have better visual ratio (p = .018) and vestibular ratio (p = .029) than control subjects. There was no significant difference in the somatosensory ratio among the 3 groups. We conclude that adolescents undertaking TKD training may have better balance performance than untrained subjects. © 2012 Human Kinetics, Inc.published_or_final_versio

Taekwondo training speeds up the development of balance and sensory functions in young adolescents

Objectives: This study aimed (1) to identify the developmental status of balance and sensory functions in young adolescents as compared to adults and, (2) to explore the effect of Taekwondo (TKD) training on the development of balance and sensory systems in young adolescents. Design: Cross-sectional controlled trial. Methods: Sixty-six participants including 42 adolescents (21 TKD practitioners, 21 non-TKD practitioners) and 24 adults were tested. The sway velocity of centre of gravity was recorded during standing on the non-dominant leg on a Smart Equitest ® system. The somatosensory, vestibular and visual ratios were also measured with the machine. Results: Adult participants swayed slower than both TKD and non-TKD adolescent groups during single leg stance with eyes open (p=0.007 and p< 0.001, respectively). The TKD adolescent group, in turn, swayed slower than the non-TKD adolescent group (p< 0.001). Adult participants had better visual ratio than both TKD and non-TKD adolescents (p=0.001 and p< 0.001, respectively) while there was no difference between the TKD and non-TKD adolescents (p=0.164). For the vestibular ratio, there was no significant difference between adult participants and TKD adolescents (p=0.432). Adolescents who did not practice TKD showed significantly lower vestibular ratio than TKD adolescents and adults (p=0.003 and p<0.001, respectively). In addition, there was no significant difference in the somatosensory ratio among the 3 participant groups (p=0.711). Conclusions: Participation in TKD appears to speed up the development of postural control and vestibular function in adolescents. Clinicians might advocate TKD exercise as a therapeutic intervention for young people with balance or vestibular dysfunctions. © 2011 Sports Medicine Australia.postprin

Taekwondo training improves sensory organization and balance control in children with developmental coordination disorder: A randomized controlled trial

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) have poorer postural control and are more susceptible to falls and injuries than their healthy counterparts. Sports training may improve sensory organization and balance ability in this population. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of three months of Taekwondo (TKD) training on the sensory organization and standing balance of children with DCD. It is a randomized controlled trial. Forty-four children with DCD (mean age: 7.6 ± 1.3 years) and 18 typically developing children (mean age: 7.2 ± 1.0 years) participated in the study. Twenty-one children with DCD were randomly selected to undergo daily TKD training for three months (1. h per day). Twenty-three children with DCD and 18 typically developing children received no training as controls. Sensory organization and standing balance were evaluated using a sensory organization test (SOT) and unilateral stance test (UST), respectively. Repeated measures MANCOVA showed a significant group by time interaction effect. Post hoc analysis demonstrated that improvements in the vestibular ratio (p= 0.003) and UST sway velocity (p= 0.007) were significantly greater in the DCD-TKD group than in the DCD-control group. There was no significant difference in the average vestibular ratio or UST sway velocity between the DCD-TKD and normal-control group after three months of TKD training (p> 0.05). No change was found in the somatosensory ratio after TKD training (p> 0.05). Significant improvements in visual ratios, vestibular ratios, SOT composite scores and UST sway velocities were also observed in the DCD-TKD group after training (p≤ 0.01). Three months of daily TKD training can improve sensory organization and standing balance for children with DCD. Clinicians can suggest TKD as a therapeutic leisure activity for this population. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.postprin

Can Rhythmical Auditory Stimulation Alter Gait Pattern in Children with Asperger Syndrome?

published_or_final_versio

Altered postural control strategies and sensory organization in children with developmental coordination disorder

The postural control of children with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD) was compared under conditions of reduced or conflicting sensory input. Twenty-two children with DCD (16 males, 6 females; mean age 7. years 6. months, SD 1. year 5. months) and 19 children with normal motor development were tested (13 males, 6 females; mean age 6. years 11. months, SD 1. year 1. month). Standing balance, sensory organization and motor control strategy were evaluated using the sensory organization test (SOT). The results revealed that children with DCD had lower composite equilibrium scores (p< .001), visual ratios (p= .005) and vestibular ratios (p= .002) than normal children in the control group. No significant between-group difference in their average somatosensory ratio was observed. Additionally, children with DCD had lower motor strategy scores (swayed more on their hips) than the normal children when forced to depend on vestibular cues alone to balance (p< .05). We conclude that children with DCD had deficits in standing balance control in conditions that included reduced or conflicting sensory signals. The visual and vestibular systems tended to be more involved in contributing to the balance deficits than the somatosensory system. Moreover, children with DCD tended to use hip strategy excessively when forced to rely primarily on vestibular signals to maintain postural stability. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.postprin

Can rhythmical auditory stimulation alter gait pattern in children with asperger syndrome?

2013-2014 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Quantitative estimation of muscle shear elastic modulus of the upper trapezius with supersonic shear imaging during arm positioning

2012-2013 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

The feasibility of measuring the activation of the trunk muscles in healthy older adults during trunk stability exercises

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>As the older adult population increases, the potential functional and clinical burden of trunk muscle dysfunction may be significant. An evaluation of risk factors including the impact of the trunk muscles in terms of their temporal firing patterns, amplitudes of activation, and contribution to spinal stability is required. Therefore, the specific purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of measuring the activation of trunk muscles in healthy older adults during specific leg exercises with trunk stabilization.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>12 asymptomatic adults 65 to 75 years of age were included in the study. Participants performed a series of trunk stability exercises, while bilateral activation of abdominal and back extensor muscles was recorded by 24 pairs of Meditrace™ surface electrodes. Maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC) were performed for electromyographic (EMG) normalization purposes. EMG waveforms were generated and amplitude measures as a percentage of MVIC were calculated along with ensemble average profiles. 3D kinematics data were also recorded, using an electromagnetic sensor placed at the left lateral iliac crest. Furthermore, a qualitative assessment was conducted to establish the participant's ability to complete all experimental tasks.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Excellent quality abdominal muscle activation data were recorded during the tasks. Participants performed the trunk stability exercises with an unsteady, intermittent motion, but were able to keep pelvic motion to less than 10°. The EMG amplitudes showed that during these exercises, on average, the older adults recruited their abdominal muscles from 15–34% of MVIC and back extensors to less than 10% of MVIC. There were similarities among the abdominal muscle profiles. No participants reported pain during the testing session, although 3 (25%) of the participants reported delayed onset muscle soreness during follow up that was not functionally limiting.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Older adults were able to successfully complete the trunk stability protocol that was developed for younger adults with some minor modifications. The collected EMG amplitudes were higher than those reported in the literature for young healthy adults. The temporal waveforms for the abdominal muscles showed a degree of synchrony among muscles, except for the early activation from the internal oblique prior to lifting the leg off the table.</p

Effectiveness of a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and task-oriented balance training in reducing the fear of falling in patients with chronic stroke : study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

2017-2018 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journal201808 bcrcVersion of RecordPublishe