title: Static Postural Stability in Women during and after Pregnancy: A Prospective Longitudinal Study.
abstract: This longitudinal study aimed to compare static postural stability in women between early pregnancy, advanced pregnancy, and at 2 and 6 months postpartum. Forty-five pregnant women were enrolled and 31 completed the protocol. Data were collected at 7-16 and 34-39 weeks gestation, and at 6-10 and 26-30 weeks postpartum. For each subject, the center of foot pressure path length and mean velocity (with directional subcomponents) were computed from 30-s long quiet-standing trials on a stationary force plate with eyes open or closed. The body mass, stance width, and sleep duration within 24 h before testing were also recorded. Static postural stability was not different between pregnancy and postpartum, except for the anterior posterior sway tested in the eyes-closed condition, which was significantly increased in late pregnancy compared to that at 2 and 6 months postpartum. Pregnant/postpartum women's body mass weakly positively correlated with anterior-posterior sway in the eyes-closed condition and their stance width weakly positively correlated with the anterior-posterior sway in the eyes-open condition. No effect of sleep duration on postural sway was found. Our findings indicate that under visual deprivation conditions women in advanced pregnancy may have decreased static stability compared to their non-pregnant state.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy in Internal Diseases, Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Opala-Berdzik
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Motor Behavior, Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland; Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Janusz W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Błaszczyk
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Motor Behavior, Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bacik
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy of the Nervous and Locomotor Systems, Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cieślińska-Świder
authors.affiliation: Institute of Computer Science, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland.
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Świder
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Motor Behavior, Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sobota
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy in Internal Diseases, Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Markiewicz
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000502:physiology; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011312:Pressure