title: Effect of dual tasking on postural responses to rapid lower limb movement while seated on an exercise ball.
abstract: Postural adjustments are used by the central nervous system to pre-empt and correct perturbations in balance during voluntary body movements. Alteration in these responses is associated with a number of neuromuscular/musculoskeletal conditions. Attention has been identified as important in this system; performing a concurrent cognitive task has been suggested to reduce the efficacy of this postural control. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of concurrent cognitive tasking on anticipatory postural adjustments while sitting on an exercise ball with a view to help inform future rehabilitation programmes. Bilateral EMG activity was recorded from the external and internal obliques, rectus abdominis, erector spinae and the right rectus femoris of 20 healthy subjects (9 males) with mean (SD) age of 21.88 (0.86) years (range 21-24 years). A rapid hip flexion protocol was carried out under three conditions: no concurrent task, counting out loud up from one and completing a serial sevens task. The addition of the cognitive task delayed and reduced the EMG in the prime mover muscle but had little impact on the responses of the trunk muscles within the time frame of the anticipatory responses; suggestive of a decoupling of voluntary and postural control mechanisms. The results of this study suggest that perhaps the clinical effects of dual task may not be largely due to changes in anticipatory postural adjustments. However, it would be important to compare these results to those seen in older and functionally impaired individuals as this would be more representative of the typical population undertaking such rehabilitation programmes.
authors.affiliation: The Nick Davey Laboratory, Human Performance Group, Division of Surgery, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Charing Cross Hospital, London W6 8RF, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Division of Health and Social Care Research, School of Medicine, King's College London, SE1 1UL, UK.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sorinola
authors.affiliation: The Nick Davey Laboratory, Human Performance Group, Division of Surgery, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Charing Cross Hospital, London W6 8RF, UK. Electronic address: p.strutton@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Strutton
mesh_terms: D000009:Abdominal Muscles / Q000502:physiology; D061725:Accelerometry; D004576:Electromyography; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D052097:Quadriceps Muscle / Q000502:physiology; D060726:Torso / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Dual tasking; Electromyography; Exercise ball; Postural adjustments; Trunk muscles