Standing Posterior Trunk Rotation with Adaptive Proprioceptive Toss

Author

Jennifer ElvirFollow

Campus Location

Abilene Campus (Residential)

Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Psychology

Degree Name

Master of Science

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

T. Scott Perkins

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

David McAnulty

Third Committee Member or Committee Reader

Richard Beck

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a remarkably individualized disease. Nearly every person’s trajectory is unique. One person may experience tremor at an early stage of the disease, while another may experience tremor at a later stage or even not at all. For all PD patients, for certain can expect increasing difficulty as the disease progresses. Parkinson’s disease is responsible for the loss of dopamine which displays itself most notably through motor and cognitive symptom disruption. Although Parkinson’s is a chronic and progressive condition that is irremediable, significant strides have been facilitated to help control and manage the trajectory of the disease. Interventions such as medicine and physical exercise are the leading alternatives to coping with the advancements of PD. Early motor signs of PD include smaller hand tremors, changes in walking, reduced facial expressions, slowness of movement, and posture. A person will often display at least two of the four cardinal symptoms of tremor rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability. The present study was conducted to investigate the relationships between standing posture, trunk stability, recent falls with balance, gait, and trunk rotation among people. It was predicted that consistent, multiple events per week exercise procedures, including exposure to an accuracy-task procedure (ring-toss) will be associated with a reduced rate of motor symptoms progression. The investigation was determined to potentially reverse some of the well-known cardinal symptoms of PD. Participants (N= 10) completed pre-and- post balancing assessments (MiniBESTest and Force Plate) and a weekly balancing protocol (ring-toss). The current study examined the role of exercise in movement control, which demonstrated that consistent exercise regimens provided long-term bilateral and unilateral motor benefits. The implications of the findings, limitations, and future directions for research will be addressed.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Elvir, Jennifer, "Standing Posterior Trunk Rotation with Adaptive Proprioceptive Toss" (2024). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 785.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/785