Mirror versus stationary cross feedback in controlling the center of foot pressure displacement in quiet standing in elderly subjects.

摘要

Objective. To investigate the effect of mirror feedback on postural control during quiet standing in elderly adults. Design. Pre and post intervention trials. Setting. Centre de Pneumologie Henri Bazire, Saint Julien de Ratz, France. Participants. Eleven elderly adults (mean age = 70.7 ± 4.6 years; mean body weight = 64.5 ± 15.0 kg; mean height = 161.4 ± 12.0 cm). Interventions. Participants were asked to stand upright as immobile as possible in two eyes open and mirror feedback conditions. The latter experimental condition consisted in supplying the subjects with their frontal reflected image by positioning a mirror device in front of them. Main Outcome Measures. Center of foot pressure (COP) displacements in the mediolateral (ML) and anteroposterior (AP) directions were recorded using a force platform. Results. Mirror feedback condition resulted in different effects on postural sway according to the ML or AP direction: (1) range, variability and maximal instantaneous speed of the COP displacements decreased in the ML direction, whereas (2) they remained unchanged in the AP direction. Conclusions. These results evidenced positive effects of mirror feedback on postural control in elderly adults that may put them at lower risks of falling.