Abstract des Autors

Static posturographic tests (1) measure, over a given period, the displacement of the center of foot pressure (CFP) of an individual standing on a platform. Dynamic tests appreciate, using surface EMG, the mechanisms of balance control following a single sharp and unexpected tilt of the platform (2), or CFP displacements during prolonged regular oscillations of the platform (3). The latter test allows to appreciate the strategy adopted to maintain balance. These three programs have been confirmed to be complementary tests, allowing a thorough investigation of the major mechanisms of balance control: visual afferences (1), somesthesy (2) and the combination of visual, somesthetic and vestibular afferences and determination of sensori-motor strategies (3). Various groups of sportsmen have been submitted to these tests in order to determine (a) sport-related aptitudes favouring a selective sensorial input (i.e. input hierarchy), (b) the ability to switch rapidly from a given afferent to another, (c) sensori-motor coordination strategies associated to perform a specific task. Verf.-Referat