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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomechanics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1538286
This article is part of the Research Topic Assessment of Biomechanical Mechanism in the Context of Sports Injury Prevention or Rehabilitation View all 5 articles

Regulation of Static and Dynamic Balance in Healthy Young Adults: Interactions Between Stance Width and Visual Conditions

Provisionally accepted
Wei Luo Wei Luo *Zhirui Huang Zhirui Huang Hao Li Hao Li Tao Zhong Tao Zhong Peishun Chen Peishun Chen Yu Min Yu Min
  • The Affiliated Panyu Central Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, China., Guangzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objectives: This study investigates the impact of five distinct stance widths on static balance and limits of stability in healthy adults under varying visual conditions, specifically with eyes open and closed.The Prokin Balance Instrument was used to evaluate static balance with both eyes open and closed, as well as limits of stability with eyes open, in 20 healthy adults(male, age=21.55 ± 1.39) . Participants were assessed at five stance widths (0 cm, 10 cm, 20 cm, 30 cm, and self-selected width) for each condition. Statistical analysis of the test indices was conducted using repeated measures ANOVA.In static balance tests, index values were higher with eyes closed than with eyes open, with this difference being most pronounced at narrower stance widths. Notably, a significant main effect was observed for all indicators, in the static balance test under varying visual and stance width conditions (P < 0.001). Significant interactions between visual conditions and stance width were identified for all static balance indicators(P < 0.001), except for average speed of anteroposterior sway (P = 0.195). Across both visual conditions, static balance indicators displayed a U-shaped distribution (a decrease followed by an increase) with increasing stance width, reaching a minimum at the self-selected width (16.35±4.20 cm) and 20 cm. Additionally, significant main effects were observed for limits of stability in both the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions (P < 0.001).The limits of stability in the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions increased monotonically with stance width, peaking at 30 cm. The influence of stance width on static balance and limits of stability was significantly greater in the mediolateral direction compared to the anteroposterior direction, regardless of visual condition.As stance width increases, the reliance on visual input for maintaining static balance decreases in healthy adults. We recommend using a self-selected stance width to optimize static balance and a 30 cm stance width to achieve maximum limits of stability during postural assessments.

    Keywords: stance width, visual input, static balance, Limits of stability, Healthy adults

    Received: 02 Dec 2024; Accepted: 10 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Luo, Huang, Li, Zhong, Chen and Min. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Wei Luo, The Affiliated Panyu Central Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, China., Guangzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.