How a plantar pressure-based, tongue-placed tactile biofeedback modifies postural control mechanisms during quiet standing

TL;DR

This study investigates how a novel tongue-placed tactile biofeedback system based on plantar pressure influences postural control during quiet standing, showing improvements through reduced correction thresholds and enhanced corrective efficiency.

Contribution

It introduces a new biofeedback method using tongue-placed tactile stimuli to improve postural control mechanisms in healthy individuals.

Findings

Biofeedback reduces correction thresholds.

Increases efficiency of postural corrections.

Improves stability during quiet standing.

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of a plantar pressure-based, tongue-placed tactile biofeedback on postural control mechanisms during quiet standing. To this aim, sixteen young healthy adults were asked to stand as immobile as possible with their eyes closed in two conditions of No-biofeedback and Biofeedback. Centre of foot pressure (CoP) displacements, recorded using a force platform, were used to compute the horizontal displacements of the vertical projection the centre of gravity (CoGh) and those of the difference between the CoP and the vertical projection of the CoG (CoP-CoGv). Altogether, the present findings suggest that the main way the plantar pressure-based, tongue-placed tactile biofeedback improves postural control during quiet standing is via both a reduction of the correction thresholds and an increased efficiency of the corrective mechanism involving the CoGh displacements.