Comparative Assessment of the balance in cerebelar disease and post stroke pacients

Abstract

Stroke (Cerebrovascular accident – CVA) and cerebellar ataxia (CA) consist in central compromising conditions that frequently cause balance alterations. The purpose of this study was to compare and quantify the balance alterations in patient bearers of CA and CVA sequelae, in different support bases and under influence of diverse situations imposed to the visual and vestibular system. The method consisted in using a test of balance strategies, outlining the systems that influence in these strategies and comparing the degrees of difficulties among patients with cerebellar and encephalic dysfunction. There were used the following postures: standing up, with aligned feet and in unipodal support, having as variables: closed eyes, opened eyes and with the use of a Japanese lantern, being the surface stable or unstable. The hemiplegic group presented greater difficulty in the accomplishment of the task with the use of the lantern, sensitizing the vestibular system. The cerebellar group presented greater difficulty in the accomplishment of the task with closed eyes when compared to the stroke group. It was concluded that the two classes of studied patients use their own strategies for balance maintenance, thus enabling to present differences in the performance of balance strategies.