Effects of Tactile Stimuli on Bipedal Postural Sway and Sports Performance: A Traditional Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17041751Keywords:
Postural control, Postural stability, Somatosensory system, Tactile stimuli, Athletic performanceAbstract
Bipedal stance, which is the ability to stand on two legs with the spine in an upright position, is one of the most basic motor features of the human body. Bipedal stance as in all other musculoskeletal skills is achieved through an important functional coordination of the mechanical aspects and our nervous system. The nervous system carries out its role in maintaining bipedal stance through the somatosensory system (SS), which is a kind of sensory information gathering and motor command generation system. This means that the sensations rising to the central nervous system (CNS) have an effect on the motor commands coming out of this system. The stability of bipedal stance can be differentiated by changing the visual, vestibular and proprioceptive senses that come to the SS and affect the sway in bipedal stance. There are limited studies on how bipedal postural sway are affected by stimulating various sensory receptors in the skin, which is a tissue that is rich in sensory receptors and carries proprioceptive information. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the effect of tactile stimuli applied through the skin on bipedal postural sway and to provide general information about the effect of tactile stimuli on bipedal postural sway in line with previous research. In this research designed in the traditional review type, document analysis method was used as the data collection method and studies in the electronic databases Pubmed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science were reviewed. Research focusing on any disease or congenital anomaly were excluded from the literature review. Among the scientific articles measuring bipedal postural sway using sensory variables based on somatosensory functioning in the human body, those specifically related to skin receptors were considered. In conclusion, it appears that tactile stimuli applied through skin mechanoreceptors play a role in reducing postural sway and enhancing athletic performance in some sports disciplines. Furthermore, it is also possible to argue that physical activity or participation in sports reduces postural sway. Considering that postural sway has a direct effect on athletic performance and success in some sports disciplines - such as shooting, archery, darts, etc. - it is thought that the information presented in this study will help coaches and practitioners gain knowledge about the effect of tactile stimuli on postural sway and may contribute to a method that can be used as a warm-up strategy.
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