ASSESSING THE INFLUENCE OF SENSORY INFORMATION ON CONTROLING STANDING BALANCE IN DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS

The ability of controlling balance is an essential part for all movements. In recent years, new theories in movement and balance has become the basis of some research in evaluating balance. In one of this new methods ( which is used in this study ) controlling balance is evaluated by measuring body sway in standing position during different conditions in which, the availability of sensory information has been changed. This study has a Quasi – Experimental design, and the sample consisted of 90 females, categorized as children, adults and elderly. According to the results, in altered sensory conditions the adults could control their standing balance more effectively than the other two groups. Besides, it seems that in children the function of vestibular system in controlling balance was not as effective as in adults. The results also show that in elderly, the importance of visual information in controlling balance was less than somatosensory information.