Postural control in patients with Down syndrome

Purpose. To assess postural control in individuals with Down syndrome. Method. Sixty young adults with Down syndrome were assessed and compared to 10 non-handicapped young. The subjects were asked to stay on a force platform for 30 seconds. Postural control was evaluated in two conditions: open and closed eyes. The kinetic data carried out from the force platform (i.e., ground reaction forces and Center of Pression (COP) displacements) were both evaluated in time domain and in frequency domain. Results. Patients with Down syndrome are characterized by instable postural control. In particular the data evaluation in frequency domain underlined for Down syndrome subjects versus control group an increase in frequency oscillation both in anterior-posterior and in medio-lateral direction, that are confirmed in time domain analysis only for medio-lateral direction. In DS no changes are evident between eyes open and eyes closed condition. Conclusion. This study finds that subjects with Down syndrome included in this research demonstrate that deficits in postural control system that may provide a partial explanation for function balance problems that are common in these subjects.