On the fractal properties of natural human standing

We analyzed the temporal evolution of the displacement of the center of pressure (COP) during prolonged unconstrained standing (30 min) in non-impaired human subjects. The COP represents the collective outcome of the postural control system and the force of gravity and is the main parameter used in studies on postural control. Our analysis showed that the COP displacement during human standing displays fractal properties that were quantified by the Hurst exponent obtained from the classical rescaled adjusted range analysis. The average fractal or Hurst exponent (H) was 0.35 +/- 0.06, The presence of long-range correlations from a few seconds to several minutes due to the fractal characteristics of the postural control system has several important implications for the analysis of human balance. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.