Postural Reflexes, Balance Control, and Functional Mobility with Long-Duration Head-Down Bed Rest

Abstract

The four primary tests indicate that long-duration head-down bed rest, through unloading and modification of the body's support surface, serves as an exclusionary analog for sensorimotor responses to spaceflight. Furthermore, the data suggest that procedures designed to alleviate modifications to the sensory substrate serving the soles of the feet may provide a countermeasure to help maintain support afferentation of the postural muscles.