title: Do sensorial manipulations affect subjects differently depending on their postural abilities?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether sensorial manipulation affects subjects differently according to their postural performance and the strategies used. The literature showed that the level of competition of soccer players influences their postural performance and strategy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight high-level (HL) professional soccer players and nine regional-level (RL) soccer players were tested (1) in a reference condition and (2) in a manipulated sensorial condition (MAN). The MAN condition consisted of perturbing the proprioceptive and exteroceptive information. For each postural condition, balance was assessed by measuring the centre of foot pressure using a force platform during a test of bipedal standing posture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The postural control was less perturbed in the HL than in the RL players in the two postural conditions. Moreover, the group-condition interaction showed that the postural control was less disturbed in the HL than in the RL players when the sensory information was manipulated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HL soccer players probably possessed a better internal model of verticality than the RL players. Subjects who had a better postural control level were less disturbed by sensorial manipulation than the others in postural regulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Science, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, Tarbes, France. thierry.paillard@univ-pau.fr
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Paillard
authors.forename: Riadh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bizid
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dupui
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology*; D012916:Soccer / Q000502:physiology*