title: Effects of plantar hardness discrimination training on standing postural balance in the elderly: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of sensory perception exercises for discrimination of surface hardness by the soles of the feet on standing postural balance in the elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized two-group parallel controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four healthy people aged from 61 to 71 years were enrolled and randomly assigned to a perception exercise group (n = 12) or a control group (n = 12).
  
  
  METHODS
  The perception exercise group were given a task designed to train ability to discriminate different degrees of hardness of foam rubber. The training period was 10 days. Control group subjects were instructed to maintain a standing posture on foam rubber for 10 seconds for a total of 10 days.
  
  
  METHODS
  Before and after training we measured centre-of-gravity sway with the subject standing, obtaining sway path length and area of ellipse. The Functional Reach Test was used to measure the forward displacement distance of the centre of gravity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data revealed a significant reduction in centre-of-gravity sway post training in the perception exercise group as well as a significant increase in forward displacement of the centre of gravity. These parameters were unchanged in the control group. As to change values (difference between pre- and post-training values), the perception exercise group had significantly better values than the control group, indicating the efficacy of sensory perception exercises.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrated that standing postural balance was improved by sensory perception exercises involving the soles of the feet. Used in addition to balance training, such training for hardness discrimination could be effective in the clinical setting to improve balance in the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Department of NeuroRehabilitation, Kio University, Japan. s.morioka@kio.ac.jp
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morioka
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hiyamizu
authors.forename: Tahahiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukumoto
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kataoka
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yagi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005528:Foot; D006244:Hardness; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D004856:Postural Balance; D055698:Touch Perception