Stabilization of the head position in pitch plane: study of an imbalanced population during a multi-segment posturography examin
Abstract
PURPOSE: to evaluate head stabilization in pitch plane in patients with different kinds of imbalance, when standing over firm and movable surfaces. MATERIAL: STATITEST multi-segments platform for recording and computing the postural adjustments at different body levels, detected by two captors placed on the head and hip, in four situations – eyes open and closed on firm and movable surfaces (EOFS, ECFS, EOMS, ECMS). A magnetic field, broadcasted by an antenna placed in front of the patient, is created for each recording. METHOD: Firstly, as the manufacturer did not provide the normal range limits for shoulders sway, we conduct a statistical analysis on a population and picked a sample of 31 normal individuals. Secondly, the experiment was performed in 91 patients, in two steps: standard examination and an assessment with captors on the head and shoulder. RESULTS: the following values of increased head/shoulder relationship were found: on EOFS – 6; ECFS -5; EOMS – 6; ECMS -11. We must point out the predominance of smaller head adjustments, expressing accurate head stability. However a little percentage shows increased head “pigeon-like sway”. Correlating these individuals with postural strategies, almost all of them adopted ankle strategies