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Comparison of upright balance in stroke, P arkinson and multiple sclerosis
Author(s) -
Cattaneo D.,
Carpinella I.,
Aprile I.,
Prosperini L.,
Montesano A.,
Jonsdottir J.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/ane.12466
Subject(s) - proprioception , balance (ability) , postural instability , multiple sclerosis , parkinson's disease , medicine , sensory system , stroke (engine) , physical medicine and rehabilitation , posturography , audiology , psychology , disease , neuroscience , mechanical engineering , psychiatry , engineering
Objective Multiple sclerosis ( MS ), Parkinson's disease ( PD ) and stroke ( ST ) subjects show balance impairments due to damage of the balance control system. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of MS , PD and ST on upright posture in eyes open condition and when visual and/or proprioceptive inputs are altered. Materials and methods A total of 188 subjects with MS ( n = 80), PD ( n = 58) and ST ( n = 50), mean age ( SD ), 57.9 (14.6) years, and 32 healthy subjects ( HS ) aged 53.7 (15.7) years were assessed by a stabilometric platform in a cross‐sectional study. Results Compared to HS , MS showed large deviations from normal performances with respect to magnitude ( P < 0.001) and regularity ( P < 0.05) of body sway irrespective of the altered sensory information. Similarly to MS , PD showed large and abnormal levels of body sway ( P < 0.001) and postural tremor ( P < 0.05), while ST was the least impaired except for an asymmetrical distribution of body weight between legs ( P < 0.001). Finally, the MS group compared to PD and ST showed the largest body instability after eye closure ( P < 0.05) and when visual and proprioceptive inputs were removed ( P < 0.05). PD showed instability mainly after the alteration of proprioceptive inputs ( P < 0.05), while ST showed the smallest increase of body instability when sensory inputs were reduced. Discussion Objective assessment revealed pathology‐specific balance disorders and showed the differential impact of MS , PD and ST on the ability to use sensory information for balance control.