Objective: 

Improvements in patients presenting postural ataxia have been reported by physiotherapists. The aim of the current study was to quantify muscle activity during a rehabilitation program consisting of a whole body stimulation driven by a moving force platform.

Methods: 

In a program lasting 3h healthy subjects (CTRL) and cerebellar patients (CBL) were subjected to sinusoidal stimulation movements lasting 3 min and with 8 repetitions. Between stimulations subjects had to perform blocks of 20 tone-triggered sidesteps to quantify any improvement. During these manoeuvres the activity of the main leg muscle groups was recorded.

Results: 

Analysis of the muscle activity implied that precise sidesteps were more difficult than fast side steps for both CTRL and CBL. There was a clear difference in the time course between fast and precise steps in CTRL; this difference was less pronounced in CBL. After the tone-triggered side steps CBL performed corrective steps, such that muscle activation outlasting the dynamic phase after touch down, was observed, particularly after the step to the feet-together position. A reduction of the standard deviations of averaged responses was observed in CTRL and CBL in stepping limb muscles and in supporting limb muscles. The reduction was more prominent in the gastrocnemius muscle of the supporting limb particularly in CBL. The general reduction observed at the end of the whole session was interpreted as improvement.

Conclusion: 

These results suggest that simple physical treatment may temporarily reduce postural-based ataxia in CBL. Supported by Else-Kröner-Fresenius Stiftung (A12/07)