STABILOMETRIC ASSESSMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PRESCRIPTION OF MEDICAL DEVICES EVALUAREA STABILOMETRICÃ: IMPLICAÞII ÎN PRESCRIEREA DISPOZITIVELOR MEDICALE 1* 2 2 Gabriel STAN , Daniel PETCU , Gheorghe BERIJAN 1 Elias Emergency University Hospital, Department of Orthopedics-Traumatology, 17 Marasti Blvd., Bucharest, email: gabisus2000@yahoo.com 2 National Research and Development Institute for Textiles and Leather - Division: Leather and Footwear Research Institute, 93 Ion Minulescu St., Bucharest, Romania, email: icpi@icpi.ro STABILOMETRIC ASSESSMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PRESCRIPTION OF MEDICAL DEVICES ABSTRACT. The medical literature defines posture by positioning and orientation of body segments relative to the direction of the gravitational field. Balance encompasses all static and dynamic actions performed by the body as a result of the interaction between postural control mechanisms in order to avoid falling. Maintaining a normal posture is a prerequisite for minimizing internal stress manifested in tissues. Stabilometry studies evolution, under static conditions, of the center of pressure, defined as the origin of the reaction force vector in relation to the support surface. The aging process or diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or pathomechanics, affecting posture by increasing instability and the risk of falls. There is medical evidence that demonstrates the positive effect of medical devices (orthopedic shoes or orthoses) on posture. An important role in prescribing and assessing the influence of medical devices on posture is that of stabilometry, namely assessing posture under static conditions. The article proposes to assess the main stabilometric parameters determined using AccuGait-AMTI force platform and to correlate them with technical characteristics of medical devices. KEY WORDS: stabilometry, posture, medical device EVALUAREA STABILOMETRICÃ: IMPLICAÞII ÎN PRESCRIEREA DISPOZITIVELOR MEDICALE REZUMAT. Literatura medicalã defineºte postura prin poziþionarea ºi orientarea segmentelor corporale în raport cu direcþia câmpului gravitaþional. Echilibrul reprezintã totalitatea acþiunilor statice ºi dinamice efectuate de corp ca urmare a interacþiunii dintre mecanismele de control postural, cu scopul evitãrii cãderii. Menþinerea unei posturi normale este o condiþie esenþialã pentru reducerea la minimum a tensiunilor interne manifestate în þesuturi. Stabilometria studiazã evoluþia în staticã a centrului de presiune, definit ca originea vectorului forþei de reacþiune în raport cu baza de susþinere. Procesul de îmbãtrânire sau prezenþa unor afecþiuni precum diabetul, artrita reumatoidã sau patologii de naturã mecanicã au ca rezultat influenþarea posturii prin creºterea instabilitãþii ºi a riscului de cãdere. Existã dovezi medicale care demonstreazã efectul pozitiv al dispozitivelor medicale (încãlþãminte ortopedicã sau orteze) asupra posturii. În prescrierea ºi evaluarea influenþei dispozitivelor medicale asupra posturii, un rol important îl ocupã stabilometria, respectiv evaluarea posturii în condiþii statice. Articolul îºi propune evaluarea principalilor parametri stabilometrici determinaþi cu ajutorul platformei de forþã AccuGait-AMTI ºi corelarea acestora cu caracteristicile tehnice ale dispozitivelor medicale. CUVINTE CHEIE: stabilometrie, posturã, dispozitiv medical ÉVALUATION STABILOMÉTRIQUE: LES IMPLICATIONS POUR LA PRESCRIPTION DE DISPOSITIFS MÉDICAUX RÉSUMÉ. La littérature médicale définit la posture par le positionnement et l'orientation des segments de corps par rapport à la direction du champ de gravitation. L'équilibre représente toutes les actions statiques et dynamiques exercées par le corps à la suite de l'interaction entre les mécanismes de contrôle de posture afin d'éviter les chutes. Le maintien d'une position normale est une condition préalable à la réduction du stress interne qui se manifeste dans les tissus. La stabilometrie étudie l'évolution, dans des conditions statiques, du centre de pression, défini comme l'origine du vecteur de force de réaction par rapport au support. Le processus de vieillissement ou la présence de maladies telles que le diabète, la polyarthrite rhumatoïde ou pathologies de nature mécanique influencent la posture en augmentant l'instabilité et le risque de chutes. Il y a des preuves médicales qui démontrent l'effet positif des dispositifs médicaux (chaussures orthopédiques ou orthèses) sur la posture. Un rôle important dans la prescription et l'évaluation de l'influence des dispositifs médicaux sur la posture est celui de la stabilometrie, c'est-à-dire l'évaluation de la posture dans des conditions statiques. L'article propose l'évaluation des principaux paramètres stabilometriques déterminés par la plate-forme de force AccuGait-AMTI et leur corrélation avec les caractéristiques techniques des dispositifs médicaux. MOTS CLÉS: stabilométrie, posture, dispositif médical 149 Revista de Pielarie Incaltaminte 13 (2013) 2 *Correspondence to: Gabriel STAN, Elias Emergency University Hospital, Department of Orthopedics-Traumatology, 17 Marasti Blvd., Bucharest, email: gabisus2000@yahoo.com