title: Postural asymmetries in response to holding evenly and unevenly distributed loads during self-selected stance.
abstract: The authors examined postural asymmetries during quiet stance and while holding evenly or unevenly distributed loads. Right-hand dominant subjects preferentially loaded their right lower limb when holding no load or a load evenly distributed in both hands, but no differences in center of pressure (CoP) were observed between the left and right limbs. However, longer CoP displacement was observed under the preferentially loaded limb, which may reflect a functional asymmetry that allows quick movement of one limb in response to a potential perturbation. When a load was held only in the nondominant hand, sample entropy decreased in the left (loaded) limb but increased in the right (unloaded) limb, suggesting the unloaded foot compensated for a loss of control flexibility in the loaded foot.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2046, USA. jmhaddad@purdue.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Haddad
authors.forename: Shirley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rietdyk
authors.forename: Joong Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Jessica M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Seaman
authors.forename: Tobin A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Silver
authors.forename: Julia A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kalish
authors.forename: Charmayne M L
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000502:physiology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology*