Quantification of postural stability changes in patients with impairments in postural control

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology of human motion analysis and its clinical application used to study postural stability and balance control strategies in patients with various vestibular diseases. A marker-free analysis system was used to detect and evaluate motion of anatomical landmarks in single video camera records. The reconstructed motion trajectories of particular body segments were used to derive significant biomechanical parameters during balance control oriented tests with and without visual input. Pilot study was realized at the group of 22 patients to verify both the system functionality and the methodology suitability. All here included patients were evaluated separately as first, because of their different impairments affecting postural control. Then, the results were analysed within the group of here included patients as well. The first results showed that the method was efficient and proved quantitative changes in posture stability parameters as well as their dependence on visual perception. Also, the results obtained in patients with similar symptoms convinced us that the increasing number of analysed subjects and thus increasing database of patients' data could help clinicians to identify the background of closely related groups of posture disorders as well as to improve the patients' health status by supporting of decision making process aimed to select optimal treatment.