Effects of task difficulty during practice on learning a dynamic balance task in healthy young adults: An intervention study

Abstract

Objective Cross-sectional studies reported increased postural sway during balance tasks with a high (e.g., unipedal stance on foam ground) compared to a low (e.g., unipedal stance on firm ground) level of task difficulty. Therefore, practicing/training balance tasks using high compared to low stimuli seems to be beneficial as it addresses larger adaptive reserves. Thus, the present study was performed to investigate the role of task difficulty during practice on learning a dynamic balance task in healthy young adults. Results During acquisition, both practice groups (“Easy” or “Difficult” task condition) significantly improved their performance (i.e., time in balance). Further, the statistical analysis of post-practice performance revealed a significant main effect of test (i.e., better performance under easy compared to difficult test conditions, irrespective of group) but not of group. Additionally, the Group × Test interaction did not reach the level of significance, indicating that learning a dynamic balance task did not depend on the practiced task condition.

Balance Adaptation While Standing on a Compliant Base Depends on the Current Sensory Condition in Healthy Young Adults

“…There is no doubt that task repetition leads to improved stance control, for example, assessed behaviourally, where the "time in balance" increases with short-term training (Schedler et al, 2021). Getting closer to the underpinning mechanisms, we suggest that, when subjects stand on foam, the brain soon realises that minimisation of the body displacement per se is not an efficient way of coping with the critical condition (Kiemel et al, 2011).…”

“…This epoch was not further divided into time segments and formally analysed to see if an adaptation occurs between the first and last part of the same trial. A related unanswered issue is the duration and amplitude of the adapted effects and the capacity to exploit learning for coping with difficult tasks (Schedler et al, 2021). In other words, we do not know whether and how post-effects of adaptation in sway or spectral measures fade over time.…”

Effects of a short period of postural training on postural stability and vestibulospinal reflexes

“…A limit of the present study was that the ability to maintain a challenging posture such as the unipedal stance was investigated only soon after the training session. It has been shown that the effects of a single session in postural training may persist the whole day, so that they may sum to those of another training session performed the day after [70]. This is probably the reason why repeated session of postural training regularly spaced within the week may lead in the long term to substantial improvements of postural stability [1,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”