Postural control in underachieving students

Postural balance is a sensory-motor function resulting from a learning process. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the postural control of underachieving students through static posturography together with virtual reality stimulation. METHODS: This was a controlled cross-sectional study of a group of 51 underachieving students and a control group of 60 students with good school performance, with no history of vestibular disorders or neurotological complaints, volunteers from the community, age- and gender-matched. The students were submitted to Balance Rehabilitation Unit (BRU™) posturography. RESULTS: A total of 111 students aged 7 to 12 years old were evaluated. At posturography evaluation, there was no significant difference between the limit of stability area (cm(2)) of the control group and the experimental group. The comparison between groups demonstrated a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in the values of sway velocity (cm/s) and center of pressure area (cm(2)) in the ten sensory conditions evaluated. CONCLUSION: Posturography with virtual reality stimulation, allows for the identification of incapacity to maintain postural control, with or without visual deprivation, and the assessment of visual, somatosensory, and vestibular-visual interaction conflict in underachieving students. © 2014 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.