Adaptation of Human Postural Control: Learning, Sensorimotor and Analysis Aspects

Human movement control is complex and involves over 600 muscles controlled by an advanced regulatory system guided by three interacting sensory systems. Still, we can with ease make accurate and smooth movements, even under continuously changing conditions. This book illustrates some of the properties of learning in human postural control when the sensory and motor systems are affected by factors such as poor sensation on the soles of the feet, body overweight or fatigued calf muscles while standing. The studies show that human postural control has extensive abilities to adjust its properties when the sensory or motor system constraints change and that these adaptive changes can be mathematically described. The findings suggest that several partly independent learning processes, acting at different time scales, are involved in the formation of an improved performance designated to handle the situations encountered. The studies shed new light on how humans learn to handle novel physical challenges, which should be of interest for professionals working with physical training or diagnosing and rehabilitating patients suffering from balance disorders.