Postural control during quiet standing following cervical muscular fatigue: effects of changes in sensory inputs

摘要

The purpose of the present experiment was to investigate the effects ofcervical muscular fatigue on postural control during quiet standing underdifferent conditions of reliability and/or availability of somatosensory inputsfrom the plantar soles and the ankles and visual information. To this aim, 14young healthy adults were asked to sway as little as possible in three sensoryconditions (No vision, No vision-Foam support and Vision) executed in twoconditions of No fatigue and Fatigue of the scapula elevator muscles. Centre offoot pressure (CoP) displacements were recorded using a force platform. Resultsshowed that (1) the cervical muscular fatigue yielded increased CoPdisplacements in the absence of vision, (2) this effect was more accentuatedwhen somatosensation was degraded by standing on a foam surface and (3) theavailability of vision allowed the individuals to suppress this destabilisingeffect. On the whole, these findings not only stress the importance of intactcervical neuromuscular function on postural control during quiet standing, butalso suggest a reweigthing of sensory cues in balance control followingcervical muscular fatigue by increasing the reliance on the somatosensoryinputs from the plantar soles and the ankles and visual information.