Effects of water immersion on quasi-static standing exploring center of pressure sway and trunk acceleration: a case series after incomplete spinal cord injury

Abstract

Study design This work is a case series. Objectives We assessed the influence of the aquatic environment on quasi-static posture by measuring center of pressure (COP) sway and trunk acceleration parameters after incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) in water and on land. Setting Tertiary Rehabilitation Hospital, Ontario, Canada. Methods Six adult participants with iSCI (4 cervical/2 thoracic injuries, AIS D) were enrolled. Baseline balance was assessed by the Berg Balance Scale and Mini-Balance Evaluation System Test. Participants stood on a waterproof force plate for one minute per trial on land and in water; participants completed testing with their eyes open or closed in random order over 10 trials. Individuals' perceptions of their standing balance were obtained. COP and trunk acceleration parameters were analyzed in the time-domain.

Wearable technologies for monitoring aquatic exercises: A systematic review

“…Table 1 summarizes the characteristics and demographics of the included articles, showing that the majority of studies were published between 2017, 31 – 38 2019 39 – 42 and 2020 43 – 46 and no articles were found before 2014. Most of the articles 31 – 33 , 35 – 37 , 42 , 44 – 51 involved healthy adults or elderly subjects, 41 , 43 while the remaining investigated anterior cruciate ligament injury, 34 , 52 incomplete spinal cord injury 39 , 40 , 53 and chronic anterior knee pain. 38 Three studies involved a healthy control group, 34 , 38 , 39 and one 52 exploited previously published data of a healthy reference group.…”

“…Most of the articles 31 – 33 , 35 – 37 , 42 , 44 – 51 involved healthy adults or elderly subjects, 41 , 43 while the remaining investigated anterior cruciate ligament injury, 34 , 52 incomplete spinal cord injury 39 , 40 , 53 and chronic anterior knee pain. 38 Three studies involved a healthy control group, 34 , 38 , 39 and one 52 exploited previously published data of a healthy reference group. The sample size was typically 10 or more subjects, up to a maximum of 50, and 4 articles 36 , 38 , 44 , 46 had a balanced gender distribution.…”

“…In three studies 37 , 38 , 41 squats, split squats and single limb squats have been performed to estimate joint kinematics, range of motion and asymmetries. In the remaining articles, gait initiation, 36 , 40 , 53 balance during standing 35 , 39 and countermovement jumps 50 were included to assess centre of pressure parameters and ground reaction forces. Exercise-specific parameters have been estimated when knee flexion-extension 31 and shoulder movements 44 were performed.…”

“… 34 , 37 , 38 , 41 – 43 , 48 , 52 , 53 Five articles included motion capture and optoelectronic system as support, 45 , 46 , 51 reference 32 or as gold standard to validate the inertial sensors. 44 , 49 Force plates were used by Marinho-Buzelli et al 35 , 36 , 39 , 40 to estimate the centre of pressure parameters and sway, and by Pacini Panebianco et al 46 and Chien et al 50 to determine ground reaction forces. Lastly, Chien et al, 31 accompanied the accelerometer data with electromyography for the investigation of muscular contraction and near-infrared spectroscopy to estimate the tissue saturation index.…”

Aquatic Therapy after Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: Gait Initiation Analysis Using Inertial Sensors

“…Aquatic exercises of passive/active movements and walking in water were effective in decreasing the energy cost of level walking at a low speed of progression [ 17 ]. A case series analyzing quasi-static standing balance during water immersion after iSCI found an increased center of pressure sway and upper to lower trunk acceleration ratios in the antero-posterior (AP) direction with respect to dry-land conditions, reflecting the balance and sensorimotor impairment of the participants [ 18 ]. Specifically, during gait initiation in water immersion, a few individuals showed a faster APA and slower execution phase compared to dry land, together with a different trunk control strategy [ 19 ].…”