Citation

Ray CT, Horvat M, Croce R, Mason RC, Wolf SL. Gait Posture 2008; 28(1): 58-61.

Affiliation

Department of Kinesiology, The University of Texas at Arlington, Dallas VA Medical Center (151), 801 Greek Row Drive, TX, USA. crayuga@aol.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.gaitpost.2007.09.010

PMID

18023185

Abstract

Individuals with vision loss are at an increased risk of falls. Understanding what factors contribute to postural instability within this population is a necessary step towards the development of physiotherapeutic programs targeted at reduction of falls within this population. Forty-six age-matched participants were evaluated with the sensory organization test (SOT) on a NeuroCom Equitest. The conditions provided accurate and inaccurate sensory information to test the participants' ability to utilize the correct information to maintain postural stability. A one-way analysis of variance was performed on composite balance scores between groups. Based on the data analysis, significant differences were apparent in equilibrium composite scores (P<.05) and strategy utilized to maintain postural stability between the visually impaired and sighted sample. Results indicate that restricted vision has a negative impact on overall postural stability and visually impaired individuals utilize greater use of hip strategy to maintain postural stability.

Language: en