title: Effects on posture by different neuromuscular afferent stimulations and proprioceptive insoles: Rasterstereographic evaluation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Proprioceptive neuromuscular stimulating insoles are increasingly applied in treating functional complaints, chronic pain, foot disorders and so on.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate rasterstereography as a tool in objectifying postural changes resulting from neuromuscular afferent stimulation and proprioceptive neuromuscular stimulating insoles and to compare the respective effects on posture.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a prospective experimental study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 27 healthy volunteers were consecutively exposed to six different varying intense neuromuscular afferent stimulating test conditions at three different times. One test condition featured proprioceptive neuromuscular stimulating insoles. In each test condition, a sequence of 12 rasterstereographic recordings of back shape was documented. Changes between six different test conditions and over time for 14 posture characterising parameters were investigated, for example, trunk inclination, pelvic torsion, lateral deviation of the spine's amplitude or sagittal spinal curve.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Standard deviation of our rasterstereographic measurements (±2.67 mm) was better than in most comparable reference values. Different neuromuscular stimuli were found to provoke significant changes to various posture parameters, including trunk inclination, pelvic torsion and so on ( each p < 0.001, F-tests). Proprioceptive neuromuscular stimulating insoles induced significant changes for parameter lateral deviation of the spine's amplitude (p = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neuromuscular afferent stimulation and proprioceptive neuromuscular stimulating insoles induce postural changes, which can be detected reliably by rasterstereography.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrated that rasterstereography - a radiation-free imaging modality - enables visualisation and documentation of subtle postural changes induced by varying intense neuromuscular afferent stimulation and the application of proprioceptive neuromuscular stimulating insoles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany peter.dankerl@uk-erlangen.de.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dankerl
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University of Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andrea Kerstin
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University of Erlangen, Germany Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Lothar
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Häberle
authors.affiliation: Consultant for Orthopaedics, Nürnberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stumptner
authors.affiliation: Consultant for Orthopaedics, München, Germany.
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pfaff
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uder
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Raimund
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Forst
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D009989:Orthotic Devices; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: Proprioceptive insoles; neuromuscular afferent stimulation; posture; rasterstereography