Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Chronic Diabetes And Attentional Focus On Performance And Learning Of A Novel Stabilometer Balance Task, Rebeca Armagnac Gonzalez, Yinny Lee, Alicia Letkiewicz, Meiko Nagano Mamauag

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background and Purpose: Chronic diabetes is a prevalent systemic disease that impairs physical functioning and often leads to increased risk of falls. Adopting an external focus of attention during motor skill practice has been shown to improve learning outcomes, however, it has not been examined in this population. We examined how attentional focus instructions (internal vs. external) affect balance performance and learning in older adults with and without diabetes.

Methods: Fifty-three older adults (27 with diabetes, 63.7±7.0 years) participated in the randomized, pre-post intervention study. The balance training involved 50 practice trials of a stabilometer task that was novel to …

Physiological And Biomechanical Response To Indoor Cycling With And Without The Ability To Sway, Alina P. Swafford

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: Bicycles have been around since the early 19th century. Since the invention of the bicycle, it has taken on several purposes. People have used bicycles as a means of transportation, leisure, exercise, and sport. The number of individuals who participate in a cycling event per year has increased. With the increase in popularity, research related to cycling has also increased. Research related to the physiology and biomechanics of cycling are of particular areas of interest. Balance is a crucial component of understanding why we cycle a certain way. Some research has labeled balancing on a bicycle as cycling sway. …

Effects Of A 12-Week Remote Exercise Program On Balance In Adults With Down Syndrome, Kayla Kotake, Sherwin Cadiao, Nicole Kaes, Jayston Prudencio

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose/Hypothesis Individuals with Down syndrome (Ds) tend to have deficits in balance and postural control, which negatively affects their ability to perform physical activities safely and independently. Previous research has shown that exercise can improve balance in people with Ds, however, most studies looked at balance in children with Ds. As the average life expectancy for people with Ds has increased, there is a need for research investigating balance in adults with Ds. Also, there is a need to increase exercise opportunities (eg, remote exercise programs) for adults with Ds, as physical inactivity and sedentary behavior are prevalent among individuals …

Balance Confidence And Fear Of Falling Avoidance Behavior Are Most Predictive Of Falling In Older Adults: A Prospective Analysis, Sarrie Oscar, Jessica Sasaoka, Kyle Vaughn

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Evidence suggests that there are several fall predictors in the elderly population, including previous fall history and balance impairment. To date, however, the role of psychological factors has not yet been thoroughly vetted in conjunction with physical factors as predictors of future falls. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine which measures, physical and psychological, are most predictive of falling in older adults. Design: This was a prospective cohort study. Methods: Sixty-four participants (mean age=72.2 years, SD=7.2; 40 women, 24 men) with and without pathology (25 healthy, 17 with Parkinson disease, 11 with cerebrovascular accident, 6 with …

Comparison Of Muscle Latencies For Diabetic Neuropathy Patients Versus Healthy Controls During A Perturbed Balance Task, Kyle Mefferd

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to compare muscle latencies for patients diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy versus healthy controls during a perturbed balance task, with a secondary purpose to distinguish postural control strategies the groups used based on the muscle latencies. Five participants diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy (DN; 4 male, 99.7 ± 7.95 kg, 176 ± 9.58 cm, 46.6 ± 16.55 years) and 5 healthy control (HC; 4 male, 100.36 ± 12.61 kg, 173.76 ± 9.66 cm, 47 ± 13.42 years) participants were recruited. Participants granted institutionally approved written consent before participating. Delsys Trigino Wireless EMG sensors were placed on …

The Effects Of Enhanced And Decreased Expectations On Balance Performance In Those With And Without Parkinson’S Disease, Joshua Ostrander, Granuaile Parrish, Jacob Blood

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: It has been reported individuals typically perform well on a task when enhanced expectancy was provided prior to task performance. It has also been reported people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are especially susceptible to pre-task placebo cuing and suggestion. Evidence of this susceptibility has been previously demonstrated through brain imaging studies and with demonstration by individuals with PD improved balance performance.

Objective: This study was designed to further previous studies’ results for improved task performance with enhanced expectancy. The purpose of this study was to investigate if the pre-task verbal delivery of enhanced expectancy, decreased expectancy and no expectancy …

The Acute Effects Of Static Stretching Of The Gastrocnemius On Limits Of Stability In Young Adults Versus Elderly Adults, Matt Bugnet, Kirk Player

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background and Purpose: Balance is an important part of everyday life for all individuals with many body systems interacting to achieve optimal balance. Proprioceptive organs aid in this interaction, while also acting as stretch receptors. Therefore, it is possible that stretching may influence the overall balance of the individual. The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute effects of stretching on dynamic balance of healthy young and elderly adults. The two groups were used to determine if stretching may discriminately affect balance at different ages.

Subjects: Thirty healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 35 …