Evaluation of patient's postural control plays an integral part in physical therapy interventions. This report introduces Nashner's theory that elucidates the strategies for human postural control. It further reviews postural control among subjects with several diseases as well as the key factors that influence it.

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This report will describe my observations of the relationship between working postures and physical load. Other authors of various fields have dealt with the working postures, and the results have been applied not only for regulations and guides of work management but also as an index of improvements in job requirements. I therefore thought it pertinent to study the postures during care-giving. More information is needed for clinical context on the analysis of care-giving postures and physical load induced.

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From the viewpoint of postural control, lower limb amputation can be regarded as the physical deficiency of a part of peripheral proprioceptor and locomotorium, but not as the organic disease of central nervous system. Equilibrium function of amputees is therefore highly dependent not only on their balance capacity but also on functional performance of lower extremity prosthesis. The present study describes the postural control of lower limb amputees, focusing primarily on the body sway test, one of the evaluation methods widely used.

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The present report introduces the postural classfication of elderly persons, which can be used in clinical application, and then deals with the changes in postural adjustment function with aging. The analysis between dynamic stability and falling in the elderly was made by the one-leg standing test with the eyes closed, and revealed that those who had experienced falling(s) showed deterioration of dynamic stability. It is considered important for preventing falling in the elderly not only to increase understanding of their physical characteristics but also to pay attention to their surroundings that should be cope with changes in physical functions with aging.

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Human posture is acceptable as one of the fruits of long-standing changes and developments of living things, which can, in other words, be unique and advanced outgrowth. Such outgrowth occurs in response to the demands from environment, and human beings are not unusual cases. The former half of this report describes the history of human posture from the phylogenic viewpoint, as well as the elaborate structure and form of living things. In the latter half, postural stabilization is reviewed, paying a special attention to structure and function of spine.

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We have discussed assessment and training of postural control. Many subjects for physical therapy have various disorders related to postural control regardless of their types of disability. Thus we think that the factors influencing postural control must be taken into consideration at the time of assessment and training of the patients.

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In view of gravity center sway, developmental changes of postural stability in standing with ages can be summarized as follows: Postural stability markedly improves from childhood to the age of around 10 years, and tends to deteriorate sharply after the age of 60 years. Compared with men, women exhibit better postural stability through life with a smaller gravity sway. The point of gravity center from the heel is gradually shifted towards the toe until the age of young adult, and is unchanged after that. Of infants who have just been able to stand, both the support and motor feet are in the dominant side. The support foot is then dissociated from motor foot to the non-dominant side with motor development.

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