Attention and Visual Demands of Postural Control in Patients with Forward Head Posture

The wrong posture of head in patients with Forward Head Posture (FHP) could affect their visual and attention demands of postural control. The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of cognitive loading and visual occlusion on the static stability in patients with FHP compared to healthy participants.

A total of 17 individuals with FHP and 15 healthy people participated in the study. The center of pressure parameters were evaluated, including the standard deviation of displacement and velocity in anteroposterior and mediolateral directions, mean velocity, 95% Confidence Ellipse Area, and displacement range in anteroposterior and mediolateral directions. The postural task was conducted in eight conditions, two cognitive conditions (with and without cognition task), two postural task difficulties (standing on one foot and both feet), and two visual conditions (open and closed eyes) in both groups.

The main effects of group and cognitive conditions had no significant effect on almost none of the dependent variables, but the main effects of visual and postural conditions showed significant effects on all the dependent variables (p<0.05). The interaction effects of group and other factors, including visual, postural difficulties, and cognitive conditions, showed no significant effect on any of the center of pressure variables. On the other hand, the interaction of all factors together showed significant effects in some of the postural sway parameters.

The visual demand of postural control is not different in the people with forward head posture. The attention demand in these individuals, however, is higher when a difficult postural task is coincided with a cognitive task.