Effects of assistive devices on postural control following a balance disturbance along the anterior-posterior direction

Background: Assistive devices provide balance and stability to those who require a greater base of support, especially during ambulation or in tasks essential to functional daily living. In ambulatory assistive device use, center of pressure (COP) movement as one of the measurements of postural control is a factor when assessing fall risk, with an overall goal of maintaining postural equilibrium. There is a lack of research on assistive devices, such as walkers, regarding measurable outcome variables related to fall risk. The purpose of this study was to determine how much the postural control in single limb stance during a balance perturbance is affected by utilizing three different walker types designed to promote stability: the standard walker, the front-wheeled walker with straight wheels and the front-wheeled walker with caster wheels. Research question: Is postural sway control in single limb stance during a balance perturbance affected by walker type? Methods: Twenty-three healthy adults participated and gave consent. The NeuroCom (R) SMART EquiTest (R) system was utilized to simulate forward falls. Subjects stood on the system's force plate, which was tipped backwards quickly, forcing subjects to attempt to maintain balance. Each participant experienced 18 simulated perturbations, during which they were asked to maintain balance while using one of three walkers in single-limb stance. Each trial was completed using random assignment of three different walker types. Leg dominance of the stance leg was also randomized for each trial. Results: The type of walker and the leg dominance in the standing limb significantly affected postural control in a balance perturbance in the A-P direction. The walker type significantly affected the COP maximum displacement in anterior-posterior (AP) direction. However, the leg dominance significantly affected COP maximum displacement in AP and medio-lateral (ML) directions and COP velocity in AP direction. Significance: The findings suggest that when fully grounded, a standard walker is more stable than the front wheeled walker. However, this does not indicate that the standard walker is more stable than other types of walkers when it is being picked up and moved forward during normal use.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the impact of different types of walkers on postural control in single limb stance, finding that both walker type and leg dominance significantly affected postural control in the anterior-posterior direction during balance perturbance.