Article

There is evidence to implicate the role of the cervical spine in influencing
postural control, however the underlying mechanisms are unknown. The aim of this
study was to explore standing postural control mechanisms in older adults with
neck pain (NP) using measures of signal frequency (wavelet analysis) and
complexity (entropy). This cross-sectional study compared balance performance of
twenty older adults with (age=70.3+/-4.0 years) and without (age=71.4+/-5.1
years) NP when standing on a force platform with eyes open and closed.
Anterior-posterior centre-of-pressure data were processed using wavelet analysis
and sample entropy. Performance-based balance was assessed using the Timed
Up-and-Go (TUG) and Dynamic Gait Index (DGI). The NP group demonstrated poorer
functional performance (TUG and DGI, p<0.01) than the healthy controls. Wavelet
analysis revealed that standing postural sway in the NP group was positively
skewed towards the lower frequency movement (very-low [0.10-0.39Hz] frequency
content, p<0.01) and negatively skewed towards moderate frequency movement
(moderate [1.56-6.25Hz] frequency content, p=0.012). Sample entropy showed no
significant differences between groups (p>0.05). Our results demonstrate that
older adults with NP have poorer balance than controls. Furthermore, wavelet
analysis may reveal unique insights into postural control mechanisms. Given that
centre-of-pressure signal movements in the very-low and moderate frequencies are
postulated to be associated with vestibular and muscular proprioceptive input
respectively, we speculated that, because NP demonstrate a diminished ability to
recruit the muscular proprioceptive system compared to controls, they rely more
on the vestibular system for postural stability.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS