Balance Examination
● Postural control
○ maintaining a relative position of the body parts with respect to each other
and gravity
● Balance
○ all the forces acting upon the body are equal, assessment via looking at the
posture at the patient( sagittal at frontal view)
Postural Alignment and Weight distribution
● Normal postural alignment in standing can be examined vg observing skeletal
alignment using a plumb line (posture grid)
● In standing thr COM occurs at a point about ⅔ of the body height above BOS
● About ⅔ of the body height above BOS. Static posture. In standing is examined by
positioning the patient with the feet apart, normal stance width, when viewed from
the (sagittal side plane, the plumb line is positioned )just in front of the lateral
malleolus.
● The vertical line of the gravity is expected to fall close on the axis
Limits of stability
● LOS are defined as the maximum distance an individual is able or willing to learn
in any direction without loss of balance kr changing BOS
● LOS is influenced by a number of factors
● Steadiness ability to maintain a given posture with minimum movement
● During standing an individual normally exhibit small range postural shifts, cycling
intermittently from sife to side and from heel to toe
● Sway envelope refer to the body's path
Examination of Postural Alignment
● Postural alignment and sway can be examined using visual inspection with the
patient standing against the postural grid.
Sensory Strategies for Balance
● Sensory systems( vision, somatosensory and vestibular) provide by cns with
important info about postural control and balance including information about
the result of our own actions and the surrounding environment
● Visual proprioceptive - ability to perceive information and detect orientation
● Divided into 2 Focal(cognitive/ explicit) (conscious) vision and
Ambient(sensorimotor/implicit) vision (unconscious)
Romberg Test
● Is one of the oldest test to assess sensorimotor control and was developed to
diagnose tabes dorsalis
● Feet together
● Postural control
○ maintaining a relative position of the body parts with respect to each other
and gravity
● Balance
○ all the forces acting upon the body are equal, assessment via looking at the
posture at the patient( sagittal at frontal view)
Postural Alignment and Weight distribution
● Normal postural alignment in standing can be examined vg observing skeletal
alignment using a plumb line (posture grid)
● In standing thr COM occurs at a point about ⅔ of the body height above BOS
● About ⅔ of the body height above BOS. Static posture. In standing is examined by
positioning the patient with the feet apart, normal stance width, when viewed from
the (sagittal side plane, the plumb line is positioned )just in front of the lateral
malleolus.
● The vertical line of the gravity is expected to fall close on the axis
Limits of stability
● LOS are defined as the maximum distance an individual is able or willing to learn
in any direction without loss of balance kr changing BOS
● LOS is influenced by a number of factors
● Steadiness ability to maintain a given posture with minimum movement
● During standing an individual normally exhibit small range postural shifts, cycling
intermittently from sife to side and from heel to toe
● Sway envelope refer to the body's path
Examination of Postural Alignment
● Postural alignment and sway can be examined using visual inspection with the
patient standing against the postural grid.
Sensory Strategies for Balance
● Sensory systems( vision, somatosensory and vestibular) provide by cns with
important info about postural control and balance including information about
the result of our own actions and the surrounding environment
● Visual proprioceptive - ability to perceive information and detect orientation
● Divided into 2 Focal(cognitive/ explicit) (conscious) vision and
Ambient(sensorimotor/implicit) vision (unconscious)
Romberg Test
● Is one of the oldest test to assess sensorimotor control and was developed to
diagnose tabes dorsalis
● Feet together
