Statographic Examination of Postural Sway in Patients after Head and Neck Injury

Abstract

Statographic examination showed that the incidence of pathological postural sway in vertiginous patients after head and neck injury is more frequent than in nontraumatic vertiginous patients.
However, the neural mechanism underlying the pathological postural sway observed in post-traumatic patients has not been fully clarified.
We found that the pathological postural sway can be clearly analysed, if the patients standing on a platform loaded with a mattress and receiving vibratory stimulation to the neck muscle or bilateral calf muscles are examined statographically.
Our studies have shown that such sway is largely due to disorders in the supraspinal control of the proprioceptive system.