Análise do equilíbrio estático em indivíduos saudáveis com novo método biomecânico

Abstract

Human balance is the result of a complex and harmonious coordination of proprioceptive, visual, and vestibular sensory processes with motor structures, aimed at maintaining the body's center of mass in relation to its base of support. It is classified as either static, characterized by postural maintenance with minimal sway, or dynamic, which refers to balance occurring during motor activities that influence body dynamics. In this context, the present study aims to analyze the static balance of healthy individuals, with and without visual deprivation, using a new biomechanical-computational method. The sample consisted of 10 healthy individuals, evenly distributed between female and male participants. The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) was applied, and the assessed positions included Feet Together (FT), Feet Apart (FA), Semi-Tandem (STD), Tandem (TD), Right Unipedal Support (RUS), and Left Unipedal Support (LUS), all performed with both eyes closed (EC) and eyes open (EO). Body sway was captured using a smartphone accelerometer equipped with the SMMAR-T application and converted into angular displacements over time. After applying the EEB and analyzing the center of mass oscillation, it was observed that all individuals scored 56 points on the EEB. When comparing the curves with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) for each position obtained from each subject, coefficients of determination (R²) ranged from -702.025 to 0.498, indicating high heterogeneity. The highest occurrences of body sway with EC were observed in the RUS, LUS, and TD positions, occurring 80/90 times (p-values ranging from 0.0001 to 0.039). In contrast, no statistically significant differences were found in the FT, FA, and ST positions in 47/90 cases (p > 0.05). Greater sway with EC was observed in 34/90 cases (p-values from 0.0001 to 0.0216), while greater sway with EO occurred in 9/90 cases (p-values from <0.0001 to 0.0423). Thus, it is possible to conclude that the use of a smartphone accelerometer combined with SMMAR-T was capable of determining and analyzing, through a new biomechanical-computational method, the static balance of healthy individuals with and without visual deprivation.