Abnormal trunk control determines postural abnormalities in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
Iris Krieg, Daniela Dalin, Bernhard Heimbach and 2 others
PMID 31256087WHAT IT FOUND
People with ALS swayed more when standing quietly and their upper and lower bodies moved differently when the platform tilted.
The authors suggest therapy should train trunk control. No treatment was tested.
Key findings
01ALS patients had larger spontaneous sway amplitude, velocity, and upper frequency limit than healthy controls.
02During platform tilts, ALS patients had larger absolute differences from control responses and larger upper versus lower body motion differences.
03A perturbed stance measure correlated with clinical balance tests, while spontaneous sway measures did not correlate with clinical scales.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 12 people with ALS and 12 healthy controls, so statistical power is limited. Controls were matched by age, sex, and height, which may bias comparisons. The study compared ALS patients with healthy people and did not test a therapy, so it cannot show that postural training improves balance or falls.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest. No funding statement is provided in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that postural training focused on axial control improves balance or prevents falls in ALS. The study measured standing responses in 12 patients and 12 controls and did not test a treatment.