Title:

An analysis of lateral stepping using proactive and reactive assessment methods in young adults

Creator:

Chennimalai Ravi, Praveen Kumar ; Bandi, Alekhya ; Ramachandran, Sivakumar

Subject and Keywords:

reactive postural control ; lateral stepping ; balance evaluation system test ; surface translation

Abstrakt:

Introduction. Stepping is a common reactive postural control strategy. Lateral stepping is a more challenging movement and has unique biomechanical characteristics. Stepping is commonly assessed using the Balance Evaluation System Test (BESTest), waist pulls and surface translation. The speed and characteristics of stepping are critical to prevent a fall. It is important to con-sider the influence of the test construct on stepping behaviour. The aim of this study is to identify differences in stepping charac-teristics between two selected methods and determine which method elicits the most optimal stepping response as indicated by smaller spatio-temporal characteristics.Methods. Sixty healthy young adults aged between 18 and 26 years were tested for lateral stepping using the BESTest and moving platform perturbations. Video recordings of the test procedures were analysed using “TRACKER” software to measure various spatio-temporal parameters of the lateral stepping reactions, such as first step time, balance recovery length, balance recovery time and number of steps. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to assess differences between the parameters from both methods of assessment.Results. The mean values of spatio-temporal parameters of stepping triggered by the moving platform were smaller compared to the BESTest. Furthermore, the stepping characteristics differed between the two assessment methods.Conclusions. The perturbations induced by the moving platform elicited stepping responses of shorter duration and shorter distances, indicating the participants’ best stepping behaviour. The method of assessment significantly influenced the stepping behaviour, highlighting the importance of carefully selecting an appropriate assessment for postural control testing.

Publisher:

Wydawnictwo Akademii Wychowania Fizycznego im. Polskich Olimpijczyków we Wrocławiu

Place of publication:

Wrocław

Date:

2025

Resource Type:

artykuł

Language:

ang

Relation:

Physiotherapy Quarterly ; Physiotherapy Quarterly,2025,vol.33,nr2

Rights:

Wszystkie prawa zastrzeżone (Copyright)

Access Rights:

Dla wszystkich zgodnie z licencją

License:

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Rights Owner:

Wydawnictwo Akademii Wychowania Fizycznego im. Polskich Olimpijczyków we Wrocławiu