Date of Award

Fall 1991

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biomedical Engineering

First Advisor

Myklebust, Joel B.

Second Advisor

Prieto, Thomas E.

Third Advisor

Harris, Gerald F.

Abstract

Postural Steadiness is a measure of quiet standing of a person. There are many physiological factors which govern the ability of a person to stand steadily without falling. An attempt was made to correlate respiration to postural steadiness in normal subjects. The results do not indicate any kind of correlation but do confirm that normals sway more in the anterio-posterior direction than in the medic-lateral direction and sway more with their eyes closed than eyes open condition. The data also showed that if there is a pronounced sway in the anterio-posterior direction then the antagonist muscles activate according to the nature of the sway. Normal respiration did not produce either an anterio-posterior or a medic-lateral sway. Induced experiments or experiments with subjects having respiratory or muscular disorders may give more insight to the question of sway during quiet standing.

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