The Effect of Lightly Gripping a Cane on the Dynamic Balance Control

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of lightly gripping a cane on the Functional Reach Test (FRT) to evaluate dynamic balance. 21 healthy men (19±1 years) were asked to perform the FRT three times. The standard FRT was performed in the first and third trials. In the second trial, participants in a light-grip group (n = 11) were told to lightly grip (but to not apply force for mechanical support) the cane during the FRT. Participants in a depend-on-cane group (n = 10) were told to perform the FRT while supporting their weight with the cane. FRT is improved by not only supporting a person’s own weight with a cane but also just lightly gripping the cane. These findings would be helpful in the development of a useful application to improve the human movement using a haptic sensory supplementation for activities of daily living.