Article

OBJECTIVES: To test whether subsensory vibratory noise applied to the sole of the
foot using a novel piezoelectric vibratory insole can significantly improve
sensation, enhance balance, and reduce gait variability in elderly people, as
well as to determine the optimal level of vibratory noise and whether the
therapeutic effect would endure and the user's sensory threshold would remain
constant during the course of a day. DESIGN: A randomized, single-blind,
crossover study of 3 subsensory noise stimulation levels on 3 days. SETTING:
Balance and gait laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Healthy community-dwelling elderly
volunteers (N=12; age, 65-90y) who could feel the maximum insole vibration.
INTERVENTIONS: A urethane foam insole with the piezoelectric actuators delivering
subsensory vibratory noise stimulation to the soles of the feet. MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURES: Balance, gait, and timed Up and Go (TUG) test. RESULTS: The vibratory
insoles significantly improved performance on the TUG test, reduced the area of
postural sway, and reduced the temporal variability of walking at both 70% and
85% of the sensory threshold and during the course of a day. Vibratory sensation
thresholds remained relatively stable within and across study days. CONCLUSIONS:
This study provides proof of concept that the application of the principle of
stochastic resonance to the foot sole sensory system using a new low-voltage
piezoelectric technology can improve measures of balance and gait that are
associated with falls. Effective vibratory noise amplitudes range from 70% to 85%
of the sensory threshold and can be set once daily.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS