Motor Control Test responses to balance perturbations in adults with an intellectual disability

Abstract

Some adults with an intellectual disability, who have a history of falling, may have delayed responses to postural perturbations and this impairment could be targeted in physiotherapy interventions aimed at improving balance capabilities and preventing falls.

Physical Exercise Frequency Seem not to Influence Postural Balance but Trunk Muscle Endurance in Young Persons with Intellectual Disability

“…They reported that subjects in the ID group had more difficulties motivating themselves, possibly because they did not fully understand the meaning of the testing and therefore might have showed lower performance in this test. Hale et al (2009) experienced similar difficulties when attempting to measure postural balance capabilities in a group of individuals with profound ID.…”

Gait and Balance

“…Earlier studies have shown that children with mild ID are markedly inferior compared to nonhandicapped children when performing one foot static balance test (Howe 1959). As analyzed below, more recent studies verify that individuals with ID have a significantly deteriorated balance capacity and reduced ability to respond to external balance perturbations (Carvalho and Almeida 2009;Dellavia et al 2009;Enkelaar et al 2012;Galli et al 2011;Gomes and Barela 2007;Hale et al 2007;Hale et al 2009;Ko et al 1992;Kokubun et al 1997;Lahtinen et al 2007;Okuzumi et al 1997;Rigoldi et al 2011;Smith and Ulrich 2008;Suomi and Koceja 1994;Van De Vliet et al 2006;Van Emmerik et al 1993;Vuijk et al 2010;Webber et al 2004;Yanardag et al 2013). …”

“…Hence, apart from interventions for balance improvement, children with ID and their parents require adoption of injury prevention programs, aiming to learn and implement home and everyday safety strategies that will be useful for their future life (Sherrard et al 2001). Additionally, it has been suggested that the delayed motor responses to balance perturbations shown in adults with ID and a history of falling, should be treated with physiotherapy interventions aiming to improve balance properties and preventing falls (Hale et al 2009). …”

“…Regarding dynamic balance, backward and forward translations of the support surface while standing on both feet, showed that persons with ID had delayed reactive response (Hale et al 2007;Hale et al 2009). This increased latency in reflex or premotor response may have implications in fall prevention.…”

“…Concerning dynamic conditions, balance tests captured with computerized posturography involve unexpected brief forward-backward translations and record the motor anticipatory responses (Hale et al 2009). Although this test gives insights into the reflexive and premotor responses which tend to be highly repeatable in people with impaired motor functions (Diever et al 1988), some patients with ID do not cope with it (Hale et al 2007).…”