Balance Impairments after Brachial Plexus Injury as Assessed through Clinical and Posturographic Evaluation

Objective: To investigate whether a sensorimotor deficit of the upper limb following a brachial plexus injury (BPI) affects the upright balance.

Design: Eleven patients with a unilateral BPI and 11 healthy subjects were recruited. The balance assessment included the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the number of feet touches on the ground while performing a 60 s single-leg stance and posturographic assessment (eyes open and feet placed hip-width apart during a single 60 s trial). The body weight distribution (BWD) between the legs was estimated from the center of pressure (COP) lateral position. The COP variability was quantified in the anterior-posterior and lateral directions.

Results: BPI patients presented lower BBS scores (p = 0.048) and a higher frequency of feet touches during the single-leg stance (p = 0.042) compared with those of the healthy subjects. An asymmetric BWD toward the side opposite the affected arm was shown by 73% of BPI patients. Finally, higher COP variability was observed in BPI patients compared with healthy subjects for anterior-posterior (p = 0.020), but not for lateral direction (p = 0.818).

Conclusions: This study demonstrates that upper limb sensorimotor deficits following BPI affect body balance, serving as a warning for the clinical community about the need to prevent and treat the secondary outcomes of this condition.

Palavras-chave: postural balance, weight-bearing, peripheral nerve injuries, brachial plexus, posturography

Link para o artigo: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00715

Citação: SOUZA, LIDIANE ; LEMOS, THIAGO ; SILVA, DÉBORA C. ; de Oliveira, José M. ; GUEDES CORRÊA, JOSÉ F. ; TAVARES, PAULO L. ; OLIVEIRA, LAURA A. ; Rodrigues, Erika C. ; VARGAS, CLAUDIA D. . Balance Impairments after Brachial Plexus Injury as Assessed through Clinical and Posturographic Evaluation. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience , v. 9, p. 1-1, 2016.

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