The optimal exploitation of sensory electrical stimulation for regulating postural balance depends on participants' intrinsic balance abilities.

BACKGROUND

The sensory electrical stimulation applied to the postural muscles provides additional sensory information that improves postural balance but this improvement seems to be highly subject-dependent.

RESEARCH QUESTION

The first aim was to analyse the effects of sensory electrical stimulation on postural balance and the second aim was to analyse these effects depending on intrinsic postural balance abilities of subjects.

METHODS

Twenty healthy young male participants completed a monopedal postural task with sensory electrical stimulation (1 ms; 10 Hz; 7 ± 2 mA i.e., twice the intensity corresponding to the sensory threshold) and without sensory electrical stimulation. Pearson's product-moment correlations were performed on centre of pressure parameters to assess whether the participant's balance abilities at baseline were related to the beneficial effects of sensory electrical stimulation.

RESULTS

The results showed positive correlations for all the variables measured (i.e., with r from 0.32 to 0.35). Evidence suggests that subjects' abilities to take advantage from electrically induced additional afferents depended on participants' intrinsic balance abilities. In fact, subjects who exhibited the worst postural balance at baseline (i.e. without stimulation) benefited more from the effects of sensory electrical stimulation than subjects who displayed the best postural balance at baseline.

SIGNIFICANCE

In physically impaired subjects, as part of functional rehabilitation, sensory electrical stimulation would be particularly interesting in order to limit their risk of falling.