Balance, gait, and navigation performance are related to physical exercise in blind and visually impaired children and adolescents.

ABSTRACT: Self-motion perception used for locomotion and navigation requires the integration of visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive input. In the absence of vision, postural stability and locomotor tasks become more difficult. Previous research has suggested that in visually deprived children, postural stability and levels of physical activity are overall lower than in sighted controls. Here we hypothesized that visually impaired and blind children and adolescents differ from sighted controls in postural stability and gait parameters, and that physically active individuals outperform sedentary peers in postural stability and gait parameters as well as in navigation performance. Fourteen blind and visually impaired children and adolescents (8-18 years of age) and 14 matched sighted individuals too

SUBMITTER: Rogge AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8068618 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature