Postural responses to yaw rotation of support surface

The purposes of this study were to investigate EMG and kinematic responses to yaw rotation of a support surface. Twenty people participated in four conditions, i.e., two velocities (240 degrees/s, 120 degrees/s) and two amplitudes (30 degrees, 15 degrees). Longer latency and smaller muscle responses were induced for yaw rotation, and distal ankle and knee muscles were activated earlier than trunk and neck muscles. Joint kinematics demonstrated larger angular displacements in axial rotation. Velocity and amplitude did not affect onset latency or magnitude of muscle activation but had significant effects on joint movements and COM displacements. Preliminary information about normative data of healthy subjects was obtained, and questions were generated about optimal velocity and amplitude test protocols that require further investigation. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.