BIOMECHANICAL, PERCEPTUAL, AND COGNITIVE FACTORS INVOLVED IN MAINTAINING POSTURAL CONTROL WHILE STANDING OR WALKING ON NONMOVING AND MOVING SURFACES: A LITERATURE REVIEW

摘要

Postural control has been defined as "regulating the body's position in space for the dual purposes of stability and orientation." How the body achieves postural control depends, in part, on the environment. A person navigating a non-moving surface (e.g. hallway, stairway, or step ladder) will process information and will employ different strategies to maintain postural control than someone who is standing or walking on a moving surface (e.g., forklifts, personal transportation systems, escalators, and moving walkways). In both environments, sensory, cognitive, and motor control systems contribute to postural control. The musculoskeletal system uses muscle activation and joint positioning to control the body's alignment and muscle tone. The biomechanics of postural control rely on information that the musculoskeletal system receives from sensory systems including the vestibular system, which is generally implicated in behaviors requiring balance control, as well as the somatosensory and visual systems. Furthermore, sensory information from these and other systems can be enhanced by cognitive processes, such as attention. The ability to maintain postural control while standing or walking is critical in preventing falls on both non-moving and moving surfaces. This review focuses on moving surfaces and includes a discussion of the biomechanical, perceptual, and cognitive factors responsible for postural control.