Perception of weight-bearing distribution during sit-to-stand tasks in hemiparetic and healthy individuals.
OBJECTIVE
It is unknown whether hemiparetic individuals are aware of their weight-bearing asymmetry during sit-to-stand tasks. This study compared the error between hemiparetic and healthy individuals' perception of weight-bearing and their actual weight-bearing distribution during the sit-to-stand task and analyzed the association between the knee extensor muscle strength and the weight-bearing distribution and perception.


METHODS
Nineteen unilateral hemiparetic subjects and 15 healthy individuals participated in the study. They performed the sit-to-stand transfer on force platforms under different foot placements (spontaneous and symmetrical) and had to rate their perceived weight-bearing distribution at the lower limbs on a visual analog scale. The strength of the knee extensors was assessed with a Biodex dynamometer.


RESULTS
The hemiparetic individuals presented greater weight-bearing asymmetry and errors of perception than the healthy individuals. Although no significant association was found between strength and weight-bearing perception, moderate associations were found between strength and weight-bearing distribution for both the spontaneous (r=0.75, P<0.01) and symmetrical (r=0.71, P<0.01) foot position conditions.


CONCLUSIONS
This study revealed that individuals with hemiparesis after a stroke do not perceive themselves as asymmetrical when executing the sit-to-stand transfer and that the knee extensor strength is a factor linked to their weight-bearing asymmetry, not to their perception.
Brière
Anabèle
A
Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation, Institut de réadaptation Gingras-Lindsay-de-Montréal (IRGLM), Québec, Canada.
Lauzière
Séléna
S
Gravel
Denis
D
Nadeau
Sylvie
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D010291:Paresis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018579:Patient Selection; D010465:Perception; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology*