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Background. Diminished sensory adaptation has been associated with poor balance control for children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). A virtual reality system, Sensorimotor Training to Affect Balance, Engagement and Learning (STABEL), was developed to train sensory control for balance. Objectives. The purpose of this study was to examine the STABEL system in children with FASD and children with typical development (TD) to (1) determine the feasibility of the STABEL system and (2) explore the immediate effects of the STABEL system on sensory attention and postural control. Design. This is a technical report with observational study data. Methods. Eleven children with FASD and 11 children with TD, aged 8 to 16 years, completed 30 minutes of STABEL training. The children answered questions about their experience using STABEL. Sensory attention and postural control were measured pre- and post-STABEL training with the Multimodal Balance Entrainment Response system and compared using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results. All children engaged in game play and tolerated controlled sensory input during the STABEL protocol. Immediate effects post-STABEL training in both groups were increased postural sway velocity and some changes in entrainment gain. Children with FASD showed higher entrainment gain to vestibular stimuli. There were no significant changes in sensory attention fractions. Limitations. The small sample size, dose of STABEL training, and exploratory statistical analyses are study limitations, but findings warrant larger systematic study to examine therapeutic effects. Conclusions. Children completed the training protocol, demonstrating the feasibility of the STABEL system. Differences in postural sway velocity post-STABEL training may have been affected by fatigue, warranting further investigation. Limited immediate effects suggest more practice is needed to affect sensory attention; however, entrainment gain changes suggest the STABEL system provoked vestibular responses during balance practice., Balance is achieved by the cooperative interaction of motor and musculoskeletal systems and 3 sensory subsystems: visual, vestibular, and somatosensory (proprioceptive and cutaneous information). (1,2) These sensory subsystems interact to [...]

Background. Falls in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are a serious health concern, and the percentage of people who restrict their activity because of concerns about falling (CAF) is not known. Mobility function and accumulated impairments are associated with fall risk in older adults but not in people with stroke and have not been studied in people with MS. Objective. The purposes of this study were: (1) to estimate the percentage of people who have MS and report falling, CAF, and activity restrictions related to CAF; (2) to examine associations of these factors with fall status; and (3) to explore associations of fall status with mobility function and number of accumulated impairments. Design. A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Methods. A total of 575 community-dwelling people with MS provided information about sociodemographics, falls, CAF, activity restrictions related to CAF, mobility function, and accumulated impairments. Chi-square statistics were used to explore associations among these factors. Results. In all participants, about 62% reported CAF and about 67% reported activity restrictions related to CAF. In participants who did not experience falls, 25.9% reported CAF and 27.7% reported activity restrictions related to CAF. Mobility function was associated with fall status; participants reporting moderate mobility restrictions reported the highest percentage of falls, and participants who were nonwalkers (ie, had severely limited self-mobility) reported the lowest percentage. Falls were associated with accumulated impairments; the participants who reported the highest percentage of 2 or more falls were those with 10 impairments. Limitations. This cross-sectional study relied on self-reported falls, mobility, and impairment status, which were not objectively verified. Conclusions. Both CAF and activity restrictions related to CAF were common in people with MS and were reported by people who experienced falls and those who did not. The association of fall status with mobility function did not appear to be linear. Fall risk increased with declining mobility function; however, at a certain threshold, further declines in mobility function were associated with fewer falls, possibly because of reduced fall risk exposure., Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. It is the most common disabling neurological disease in young adults, (1,2) is commonly diagnosed between the [...]

Background. Mobility, specifically community walking, is important, but often limited among survivors of stroke. The factors that influence the recovery of community walking are not clearly understood. Objective. The purpose of this research was to examine mobility disability following stroke, specifically: (1) the association between subjective and objective measures of participation in community walking and (2) the association between personal factors and participation in community walking. Design. A cross-sectional study design was used. Methods. Fifty community-dwelling survivors of stroke, aged 50 to 79 years, were enrolled in the study. Participation in community walking was measured subjectively (perceived difficulty and satisfaction) and objectively using self-report data (number of trips and walking-related activities) and step data (pedometer). The association between subjective and objective measures of participation was analyzed using Pearson correlation. The association of personal factors (age, sex, number of comorbidities, fatigue, depression, balance and fall self-efficacy, and importance of walking) with measures of participation was analyzed using multiple linear regression. Results. Subjective and objective measures of participation were weakly associated. Self-efficacy was the only personal factor that was strongly associated with both subjective and objective measures of participation. Personal factors explained 27% to 55% of the variability in participation in community walking. Limitations. Limitations included a small sample size and limited diversity among participants. Reliability of the pedometer used in this study has not been established in the stroke population. Conclusions. Subjective and objective measures of participation in community walking were only weakly correlated, suggesting that they measure different aspects of mobility; thus, to fully capture participation, it is critical to measure both. Personal factors were associated with subjective and objective measures of participation and are important in explaining variability in community walking following stroke., The leading cause of disability in American adults is stroke, affecting approximately 795,000 people each year. (1) Limitation in community walking has been identified as one of the most debilitating [...]

Background and Purpose Assessment of walking activity in youth with cerebral palsy (CP) has traditionally been 'capacity-based.' The purpose of this study was to describe the day-to-day ambulatory activity 'performance' of youth with CP compared with youth who were developing typically. Subjects Eighty-one youth with CP, aged 10 to 13 years, who were categorized as being in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I to III and 30 age-matched youth who were developing typically were recruited. Methods Using a cross-sectional design, participants wore the StepWatch monitor for 7 days while documenting average daily total step counts, percentage of time they were active, ratio of medium to low activity levels, and percentage of time at high activity levels. Results The youth with CP demonstrated significantly lower levels of all outcomes than the comparison group. Discussion and Conclusion Daily walking activity and variability decreased as functional walking level (GMFCS level) decreased. Ambulatory activity performance within the context of the daily life for youth with CP appears valid and feasible as an outcome for mobility interventions in CP., The ambulatory types of cerebral palsy (CP), hemiplegia and diplegia, comprise 48% to 79% of all cases. (1) Most people with CP who are ambulatory experience limitations in their walking [...]

We want to thank Goodgold for her thoughtful and clinically relevant comments about our study. Our research team appreciates her acknowledgment of the ecological validity of monitoring ambulatory activity with [...]