Abstract
A major presenting symptom in ‘individuals with multiple sclerosis with mild balance disability’ (IwMS) is poor postural control, resulting from slowed spinal somatosensory conduction. Postural control deficits in IwMS are most apparent when vision is removed and the base of support is reduced such is the case during tandem and single support stances. The current study used center of pressure (COP) measurements to determine whether postural control differences exist between IwMS and either ‘healthy age-matched individuals’ (HAMI) or ‘community-dwelling older adults’ (OA). Postural control was evaluated using a Romberg standing task, which required participants to stand with their feet together and hands by their sides for 45 s with either their eyes open or closed. Results revealed that COP velocity root mean square was greater in IwMS and their COP position was closer to their self-selected maximum stability limits (e.g., greater Standing Index proportion) when vision was removed compared to HAMI. Conversely, IwMS displayed similar postural control characteristics to OA. The current study highlights two novel findings: (1) the utility of novel COP measurements to assess differences in the level of postural control in IwMS; and (2) the benefit of assessing postural control levels in IwMS to not only a population with a fully intact and functional postural control system (HAMI) but also to another population that is thought to experience postural control deficits (OA).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adkin AL, Frank JS, Carpenter MG, Peysar GW (2000) Postural control is scaled to level of postural threat. Gait Posture 12:87–93
Adkin AL, Frank JS, Carpenter MG, Peysar GW (2002) Fear of falling modifies anticipatory postural control. Exp Brain Res 143:160–170. doi:10.1007/s00221-001-0974-8
Bloem BR, Allum JH, Carpenter MG, Verschuuren JJ, Honegger F (2002) Triggering of balance corrections and compensatory strategies in a patient with total leg proprioceptive loss. Exp Brain Res 142:91–107. doi:10.1007/s00221-001-0926-3
Brown LA, Sleik RJ, Polych MA, Gage WH (2002) Is the prioritization of postural control altered in conditions of postural threat in younger and older adults? J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 57:M785–M792
Cameron M, Lord S (2010) Postural control in multiple sclerosis: implications for fall prevention. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 10:407–412
Cameron MH, Horak FB, Herndon RR, Bourdette D (2008) Imbalance in multiple sclerosis: a result of slowed spinal somatosensory conduction. Somatosens Mot Res 25:113–122. doi:10.1080/08990220802131127
Carpenter MG, Frank JS, Silcher CP (1999) Surface height effects on postural control: a hypothesis for a stiffness strategy for stance. J Vestib Res 9:277–286
Corporaal SH, Gensicke H, Kuhle J, Kappos L, Allum JH, Yaldizli O (2013) Balance control in multiple sclerosis: correlations of trunk sway during stance and gait tests with disease severity. Gait Posture 37:55–60. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2012.05.025
Corradini ML, Fioretti S, Leo T, Piperno R (1997) Early recognition of postural disorders in multiple sclerosis through movement analysis: a modeling study. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 44:1029–1038. doi:10.1109/10.641330
Daley ML, Swank RL (1981) Quantitative posturography: use in multiple sclerosis. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 28:668–671. doi:10.1109/tbme.1981.324761
Diener HC, Dichgans J (1988) On the role of vestibular, visual and somatosensory information for dynamic postural control in humans. Prog Brain Res 76:253–262
Downtown J (1996) Falls in the elderly: a clinical view. Oxford University Press, New York
Fanchamps MH, Gensicke H, Kuhle J, Kappos L, Allum JH, Yaldizli O (2012) Screening for balance disorders in mildly affected multiple sclerosis patients. J Neurol 259:1413–1419. doi:10.1007/s00415-011-6366-5
Findling O, Sellner J, Meier N, Allum JH, Vibert D, Lienert C, Mattle HP (2011) Trunk sway in mildly disabled multiple sclerosis patients with and without balance impairment. Exp Brain Res 213:363–370. doi:10.1007/s00221-011-2795-8
Frzovic D, Morris ME, Vowels L (2000) Clinical tests of standing balance: performance of persons with multiple sclerosis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 81:215–221
Jackson RT, Epstein CM, De l’Aune WR (1995) Abnormalities in posturography and estimations of visual vertical and horizontal in multiple sclerosis. Am J Otol 16:88–93
Karst GM, Venema DM, Roehrs TG, Tyler AE (2005) Center of pressure measures during standing tasks in minimally impaired persons with multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Phys Ther 29:170–180
Khasnis A, Gokula RM (2003) Romberg’s test. J Postgrad Med 49:169–172
Kraft AM, Wessman HC (1974) Pathology and etiology in multiple sclerosis: a review. Phys Ther 54:716–720
Kurtzke JF (1983) Rating neurologic impairment in multiple sclerosis: an expanded disability status scale (EDSS). Neurology 33:1444–1452
Lin SI, Woollacott MH (2002) Postural muscle responses following changing balance threats in young, stable older, and unstable older adults. J Mot Behav 34:37–44. doi:10.1080/00222890209601929
Masani K, Popovic MR, Nakazawa K, Kouzaki M, Nozaki D (2003) Importance of body sway velocity information in controlling ankle extensor activities during quiet stance. J Neurophysiol 90:3774–3782. doi:10.1152/jn.00730.2002
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada (2011) About MS. In: MS Society of Canada. http://mssociety.ca/en/information/default.htm. Retrieved 12 April 2012
Nelson SR, Di Fabio RP, Anderson JH (1995) Vestibular and sensory interaction deficits assessed by dynamic platform posturography in patients with multiple sclerosis. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 104:62–68
Patla A (1997) Understanding the roles of vision in the control of human locomotion. Gait Posture 5:54–69
Pugliatti M, Rosati G, Carton H, Riise T, Drulovic J, Vecsei L, Milanov I (2006) The epidemiology of multiple sclerosis in Europe. Eur J Neurol 13:700–722. doi:10.1111/j.1468-1331.2006.01342.x
Sosnoff JJ, Sandroff BM, Motl RW (2012) Quantifying gait abnormalities in persons with multiple sclerosis with minimal disability. Gait Posture 36:154–156. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.11.027
Spain RI, St George RJ, Salarian A, Mancini M, Wagner JM, Horak FB, Bourdette D (2012) Body-worn motion sensors detect balance and gait deficits in people with multiple sclerosis who have normal walking speed. Gait Posture 35:573–578. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2011.11.026
Winter D (1995) Human balance and posture during standing and walking. Gait Posture 3:193–214
Winter DA, Patla AE, Frank JS (1990) Assessment of balance control in humans. Med Prog Technol 16:31–51
Woollacott MH, Shumway-Cook A, Nashner LM (1986) Aging and posture control: changes in sensory organization and muscular coordination. Int J Aging Hum Dev 23:97–114
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Denommé, L.T., Mandalfino, P. & Cinelli, M.E. Understanding balance differences in individuals with multiple sclerosis with mild disability: an investigation of differences in sensory feedback on postural control during a Romberg task. Exp Brain Res 232, 1833–1842 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-014-3875-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-014-3875-3