Gait & posture
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Increasing leg strength, leg power and overall balance can improve mobility and reduce fall risk. Sensor-based assessment of peak power during the sit-to-stand (STS) transfer may be useful for detecting changes in mobility and fall risk. Therefore, this study investigated whether sensor-based STS peak power and related measures are sensitive to the effects of increasing leg strength, leg power and overall balance in older adults. ⋯ Standard clinical tests as well as sensor-based measures of peak power, maximal velocity and duration of normal and fast STS showed significant improvements. Sensor-based measurement of peak power, maximal velocity and duration of normal STS demonstrated a higher sensitivity (absolute standardized response mean (SRM): ≥ 0.69) to the effects of training leg strength, leg power and balance than standard clinical measures (absolute SRM: ≤ 0.61). Therefore, the presented sensor-based method appears to be useful for detecting changes in mobility and fall risk.
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Postural control deficits in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are widely acknowledged; however, the underlying biomechanical features of these deficits remain unknown. Nonlinear analyses provide insight into the nature of how movement is controlled and have the potential to provide new insight into the postural control abnormalities associated with ASD. The purpose of this study was to further investigate postural control deficits in children with ASD through linear and nonlinear analyses of center of pressure (COP) data. ⋯ The present study successfully revealed that children with ASD have more repetitive patterns in their COP data, indicating a less complex control of posture, on multiple time scales, during quiet stance. These findings suggest a more regular or restricted control of posture and may be an initial step in linking postural instability to stereotypic behavior and the neurobiology of ASD.