Contribution of vision and tactile sensation on body sway during quiet stance.
Yasushi Sawaguchi, Taku Kawasaki, Hitoshi Oda and 2 others
PMID 35527847WHAT IT FOUND
Closing eyes increases body sway in all directions and delays the start of recovery forward and backward.
Masking foot sensation delays leftward recovery. Tactile sensitivity improves when eyes are closed, but this happens whether standing or sitting.
Key findings
01Visual occlusion significantly increased center of pressure displacement in both the medial-lateral and anterior-posterior axes.
02Visual occlusion significantly increased the peak center of pressure displacement in the forward and backward directions, but not leftward or rightward.
03Masking tactile sensation significantly increased the leftward peak center of pressure displacement, independent of visual condition.
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 16 healthy young males, so results may not apply to older adults, women, or patients with balance disorders. The effect of masking tactile sensation on body sway was small and inconsistent across directions. The tactile sensitivity change was very small (threshold ratio 0.98 or 0.99) and occurred in sitting, suggesting it may not be functionally relevant for postural control.
Declared interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that masking foot sensation or closing eyes will produce large, clinically meaningful changes in balance for patients. The effects were small, inconsistent across directions, and found in healthy young men, not in people with balance deficits.