How can the stimulation of plantar cutaneous receptors improve postural control? Review and clinical commentary

Postural control requires constant and subconscious postural sway to manage balance and achieve postural stability. These movements of regulation are based in particular on cutaneous plantar information. The foot constitutes a functional whole that participates in the mechanisms of postural control...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neurophysiologie clinique 2019-06, Vol.49 (3), p.263-268
Main Authors: Viseux, Frederic, Lemaire, Antoine, Barbier, Franck, Charpentier, Pascal, Leteneur, Sebastien, Villeneuve, Philippe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Additional thickness
Afferent Pathways - physiology
Balance
Chronic pain
Cutaneous afferent
Feedback, Sensory - physiology
Feet
Foot - physiology
Foot sole
Humans
Life Sciences
Mechanoreceptors
Mechanoreceptors - physiology
Postural Balance - physiology
Postural control
Posture
Standing Position
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Postural control requires constant and subconscious postural sway to manage balance and achieve postural stability. These movements of regulation are based in particular on cutaneous plantar information. The foot constitutes a functional whole that participates in the mechanisms of postural control and regulation. It represents the direct interface between the body and the ground during quiet standing, and plantar cutaneous information contributes to postural control. Upright balance mechanically depends on the gravitational torque produced by the forces of gravity and reaction of the ground. In this context, the foot behaves like a sensory system for postural regulation whose objective is to maintain a state of stability within a changing and constraining environment. There is a relation between balance improvement and the facilitation of sensory feedback related to the activation of the plantar cutaneous mechanoreceptors. From a clinical point of view, the application of additional tactile cues may have therapeutic benefits in relation to fall prevention, or to improve specific types of chronic pain.
ISSN:0987-7053
1769-7131
DOI:10.1016/j.neucli.2018.12.006