Impairment and characteristics of postural control sub-components in people with COPD: a scoping review

Abstract

Purpose: Impairment of postural control is a common extra-respiratory manifestation in people with COPD. However, the precise characteristics of this alteration are not clearly known. The Systems Framework for Postural Control which define postural control sub-components, is a relevant tool to explore this field. The main aim of this review was to identify which postural control sub-components are impaired in patients with COPD and to summarize characteristics for each sub-component. A secondary aim was to precise the relation between postural control and activities of daily living. Materials and methods: A scoping review was conducted, according to the JBI methodology. Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Scielo, Google Scholar, Open Grey and HAL were searched from inception to March 2021. The search was performed in English and French. Results: Seventy-seven articles were included. There was evidence of a potential impairment for most of the postural control sub-components. Characteristics of every sub-component alteration were heterogeneous. Even if the relation was poorly studied, reduced postural control seemed to be associate with difficulties in activities of daily living. Conclusion: Patients with COPD could experiment impairment among a wide range of postural control sub-components. Future research must clarify if a common pattern of modification exits for this alteration.