ORIGINAL ARTICLE  EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOMECHANICS 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2018 April;58(4):377-84

DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.16.06705-0

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Effects of long-term stimulation of textured insoles on postural control in health elderly

Giuseppe ANNINO ^{1, 2, 3}, Francesco PALAZZO ², Mohammad S. ALWARDAT ⁴ ✉, Vincenzo MANZI ⁵, Pietro LEBONE ², Virginia TANCREDI ^{1, 2, 3}, Paola SINIBALDI SALIMEI ^{2, 4, 6}, Alfio CARONTI ², Michele PANZARINO ^{2, 3}, Elvira PADUA ^{2, 3}

¹ Department of Medicine Systems, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy; ² School of Human Movement Science, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy; ³ San Raffaele Online University, Rome, Italy; ⁴ University of Rome ‘‘Tor Vergata’’, Rome, Italy; ⁵ I.R.C.C.S. San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy; ⁶ Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to confirm the effects of long term (chronic) stimulating surface (textured insole) on body balance of elderly people.
METHODS: Twenty-four healthy elderly individuals were randomly distributed in two groups: control and experimental (67.75±6.04 years, 74.55±12.14 kg, 163.7±8.55 cm, 27.75±3.04 kg/m2). Over one month, control group (CG) used smooth insoles and the experimental group (ExG) used textured insoles every day. Velocity net (Vnet), anteroposterior (VA/P), mediolateral (VM/L) and sway path of CoP were assessed in different eye conditions before and after the experimental procedure.
RESULTS: A mixed between-within subject ANOVA was conducted to assess the impact of soft and textured insoles and two visual conditions (vision vs. no vision) across two time periods (α≤0.05). The results showed any statistical difference between groups in each parameter assessed in this study. CoP, Vnet and VM/L in the experimental group showed a statistically significant effect of textured insoles only without vision (CoP: P=0.002; η2=0.35), Vnet P=0.02; η2=0.24, VM/L P=0.04; η2=0.177) whereas VA/P showed no statistically significant effect in the same group and condition. There was no significant effect in Vnet, VA/P, VM/L and COP in control group that used smooth insole for both eye conditions.
CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that postural stability improved in healthy elderly individuals, increasing somatosensory information’s from feet plantar mechanoreceptors. Long term stimulation with textured insoles decreased CoP, Vnet and VM/L with eyes closed.

KEY WORDS: Postural balance - Aging - Mechanoreceptors