Objectives: To assess static postural control in eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions in individuals with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) type I as compared with typically developing (TD) individuals and to explore the relation between postural control and lower limb muscle function.
Design: Cross-sectional study.
Setting: Outpatient department of a pediatric orthopedic hospital.
Participants: A convenience sample (N=38) of individuals with OI type I (n=22; mean age, 13.1y; range, 6-21y) and TD individuals (n=16; mean age, 13.1y; range, 6-20y) was selected. Participants were eligible if they were between 6 and 21 years and if they did not have any fracture or surgery in the lower limb in the 12 months before testing.
Interventions: Not applicable.
Main outcomes measures: Postural control was assessed through static balance tests and muscle function through mechanographic tests on a force platform. Selected postural parameters were path length, velocity, 90% confidence ellipse area, and the ellipse's length of the mediolateral and anteroposterior axes. Mechanographic parameters were peak force and peak power as measured using the multiple two-legged hopping and the single two-legged jump test, respectively.
Results: Individuals with OI type I had poorer postural control than did TD individuals as indicated by longer and faster displacements and a larger ellipse area. Muscle function was unrelated to postural control in the OI group. Removing visual information resulted in a larger increase in postural control parameters in the OI group than in the TD group.
Conclusions: A proprioceptive deficit could explain poorer postural control in individuals with OI type I.
Keywords: Healthy subjects; Muscle function; Osteogenesis imperfecta; Postural balance; Proprioception; Rehabilitation.
Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.