Postural Changes During Quiet Stance and Gait Initiation in Slightly Obese Adults

Abstract

The study is aimed to examine balance control of slightly obese young adults during quiet stance and during gait initiation with and without crossing an obstacle. Forty-four young subjects were divided in two groups: control (BMI<25 kg/m 2 ) and slightly obese (BMI from 25 to 35 kg/m 2 ). Center of foot pressure (CoP) and kinematics of fifth lumbar vertebra (L5) were evaluated using a force plate and a motion capture system. During quiet stance with eyes open slightly obese group showed increased mean amplitude and velocity of CoP in anterior-posterior direction compared to normal weight subjects. During unloading phase of gait initiation significantly greater and faster lateral CoP shift was observed in slightly obese group compared to normal weight peers. Presence of an obstacle increased amplitude and velocity of the lateral CoP shift similarly in both groups. No BMI-related differences were found on L5 segment during gait initiation, which may indicate that postural control was already successfully performed in feet (CoP). We have shown that increased CoP parameters values and thus increased postural instability during quiet stance and during unloading phase of gait initiation is present not only in morbidly obese, but already in slightly obese subjects.

Influences of cognitive load on center of pressure trajectory of young male adults with excess weight during gait initiation

“…The limitations of this study should be taken into consideration. Following previous research that investigated GI performance in the obese population (Cau et al, 2014;Hirjaková et al, 2018;Qu et al, 2021), this study only grouped young male adults based on BMI and did not use the differentiation between limb and trunk circumference as inclusions for filtering young male adults with excess weight. In addition, although CoP parameters can reflect postural control problems, this study did not analyze kinematic parameters or muscle activation status.…”

“…Individuals not only need to shift their weight and transition the base of support voluntarily but also need to generate an appropriate propulsion force to reach the required gait speed and control the disequilibrium led by the walking progression (Hass et al, 2004;Colné et al, 2008). Analyzing biomechanical performance during GI in young male adults with excess weight, including the calculation of center of pressure (CoP) parameters (e.g., CoP displacement amplitude and velocity of CoP displacement), can provide deep insights into their postural control status, having important implications regarding their fall prevention (Cau et al, 2014;Hirjaková et al, 2018). However, currently, there is a lack of studies comparing the differences in CoP parameters between normal-weight and excess-weight ones during GI, which hinders researchers from gaining a deeper understanding of postural control status among these populations.…”

Impact of Body Mass Index on Static Postural Control in Adults With and Without Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…A strong correlation between a decreased balance stability and an increased body weight suggested that body weight maybe an emphatic risk factor for falling (13). Another previous study showed that slightly obese participants had an increased mean amplitude and velocity of CoP in anterior-posterior direction compared to normal individuals during quit standing test with eyes-open (30). There are also some possible reasons that may be helpful to clarify these results.…”

Balance Control in Obese Subjects during Quiet Stance: A State-of-the Art

“…Excessive body weight affects posture linearly with the increase of BMI (0.39 < rho < 0.60, p < 0.05) [47,48], similarly to the later stages of pregnancy [31], the center of gravity shifts forward, lumbar lordosis increases together with the pelvic forward tilt, dorsal kyphosis and secondary cervical lordosis become more pronounced [49]. Otherwise, increased CoP parameter values and therefore increased postural instability during quiet stance has been reported in both morbidly and slightly obese subjects [39]. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain the presence of higher oscillations in obese individuals in comparison with normal weight subjects: a) the reduction of plantar sensitivity due to the hyper activation of the plantar mechanoreceptors for the continuous pressure of supporting the large mass; b) the presence of high mechanical request in obese subjects due to a whole body center of mass further away from the axis of rotation causing a greater gravitational torque [30].…”