Nineteenth-Century Contributions to the Mechanical Recording of Postural Sway

Abstract

In the first half of the 19th century, European physicians, including Marshall Hall, Bernardus Brach, and Moritz Romberg, described loss of postural control in darkness by patients with severely compromised proprioception. Late 19th-century neurologists developed instruments to measure and record postural sway in patients with neurologic disease. Principal American contributors were the neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell from Philadelphia, Pa, and his trainees Morris Lewis and Guy Hinsdale. The efforts of these neurologists anticipated later physiologic studies and ultimately the development of computerized dynamic platform posturography.

Assessment of standing balance in normal versus cervical spondylotic myelopathy patients

“…In addition, maintenance of balance may be affected by compression of the efferent motor system, leading to an inadequate reactive muscular control and overall muscular weakness and fatigue [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] . Ultimately, the pathology of cord compression creates an unfavorable environment for the maintenance of balance in posture and gait that results in the clinical myelopathic picture [ 5 , 17 , 21 , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] ].…”

Assessment of standing balance in normal versus cervical spondylotic myelopathy patients

“…In addition, maintenance of balance may be affected by compression of the efferent motor system, leading to an inadequate reactive muscular control and overall muscular weakness and fatigue [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] . Ultimately, the pathology of cord compression creates an unfavorable environment for the maintenance of balance in posture and gait that results in the clinical myelopathic picture [ 5 , 17 , 21 , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] ].…”

The Romberg Sign and Early Instruments for Measuring Postural Sway

“…19 Philadelphia neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell and his trainees Morris Lewis and Guy Hinsdale developed instruments to measure and record postural sway in patients with neurologic disease. 20…”

Intersession reliability of a posturo-stabilometric test, using a force platform

“…There are many methods to assess postural control (Chaudhry et al, 2004;Pierchala et al, 2012), one of the most used is the study of the body center of pressure (COP) oscillations using a force platform (Baldini, 2010;Lanska, 2001) and the use of the stabilometric platform in order to evaluate posture is a standard for both clinical practice and research in many medical fields (Baldini et al, , 2013a.…”

Assessment of standing balance in normal versus cervical spondylotic myelopathy patients

“…In addition, maintenance of balance may be affected by compression of the efferent motor system, leading to an inadequate reactive muscular control and overall muscular weakness and fatigue [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] . Ultimately, the pathology of cord compression creates an unfavorable environment for the maintenance of balance in posture and gait that results in the clinical myelopathic picture [ 5 , 17 , 21 , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] ].…”

The Romberg Sign and Early Instruments for Measuring Postural Sway

“…19 Philadelphia neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell and his trainees Morris Lewis and Guy Hinsdale developed instruments to measure and record postural sway in patients with neurologic disease. 20…”

Intersession reliability of a posturo-stabilometric test, using a force platform

“…There are many methods to assess postural control (Chaudhry et al, 2004;Pierchala et al, 2012), one of the most used is the study of the body center of pressure (COP) oscillations using a force platform (Baldini, 2010;Lanska, 2001) and the use of the stabilometric platform in order to evaluate posture is a standard for both clinical practice and research in many medical fields (Baldini et al, , 2013a.…”

Assessment of standing balance in normal versus cervical spondylotic myelopathy patients

“…In addition, maintenance of balance may be affected by compression of the efferent motor system, leading to an inadequate reactive muscular control and overall muscular weakness and fatigue [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] . Ultimately, the pathology of cord compression creates an unfavorable environment for the maintenance of balance in posture and gait that results in the clinical myelopathic picture [ 5 , 17 , 21 , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] ].…”

The Romberg Sign and Early Instruments for Measuring Postural Sway

“…19 Philadelphia neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell and his trainees Morris Lewis and Guy Hinsdale developed instruments to measure and record postural sway in patients with neurologic disease. 20…”

Intersession reliability of a posturo-stabilometric test, using a force platform

“…There are many methods to assess postural control (Chaudhry et al, 2004;Pierchala et al, 2012), one of the most used is the study of the body center of pressure (COP) oscillations using a force platform (Baldini, 2010;Lanska, 2001) and the use of the stabilometric platform in order to evaluate posture is a standard for both clinical practice and research in many medical fields (Baldini et al, , 2013a.…”