Posturographic methods for body posture symmetry assessment

The article presents a number of posturographic methods enabling objective postural symmetry assessment in patients undergoing rehabilitation after total hip replacement surgery. The key goal of such rehabilitation is fast restoration of a proper body weight distribution. The postural symmetry measures proposed in the article enable generalized quantification of the CoP (Center of Pressure) trajectories measured during standard static posturography diagnostics and the so-called follow-up posturography examination. The follow-up posturography is a relatively new but promising method of physical rehabilitation. All of the herein discussed posturographic measures have been designed specifically to quantify postural symmetry either in a standing and relaxed upright position, in the absence of any deterministic external stimulation (static posturography) or in the presence of a visual biofeedback stimulation enforcing the coordinated slow swaying movements of the body (the follow-up posturography). The experimental results presented in this paper constitute the outcome of the long-term cooperation between the Institute of Electronics of the Silesian University of Technology and the Silesian Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Hospital. The usefulness of the proposed postural symmetry measures has been verified in a series of clinical trials carried out in a selected group of patients undergoing rehabilitation after total hip replacement surgery.