The effect of a concomitant stroop task during sit-to-stand tasks on postural control.
Yige Song, Kazu Amimoto, Abdul Chalik Meidian
PMID 34873374WHAT IT FOUND
Healthy adults showed less body sway while doing a difficult four-word Stroop task during sit-to-stand movements than during an easier single-word task.
The more complex cognitive challenge appeared to tighten postural control.
Key findings
01Performing a difficult four-word Stroop task during sit-to-stand movements produced a significant decrease in postural sway compared to a simpler single-word task.
02Postural control improved in the dual-task condition under both static and dynamic standing tests in Study 2.
03The study included healthy adults only, so it is unclear if these postural benefits apply to patients with balance impairments.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The participants were all healthy adults, so the findings cannot be generalized to patients with stroke, balance disorders, or other clinical conditions. The study design did not assign specific cognitive tasks as the primary variable in isolation, making it unclear if the postural control training was effective specifically under those cognitive conditions. The intervention lasted only one minute, which may not reflect the effects of longer-term training.
Declared interests
There are no conflicts of interest to declare.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that dual-task training reduces sway in patients with balance impairments. The study was conducted on healthy adults, and the authors explicitly state that further research is needed before implementing this in clinical populations.