Obaid Eissa Abdulaziz Almalki*

Rehabilitation Centre, Physical Therapy Department, National Guards Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

*Corresponding Author: Obaid Eissa Abdulaziz Almalki, Rehabilitation Centre, Physical Therapy Department, National Guards Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Received: July 25, 2022; Published: August 19, 2022

Abstract

Upright standing and walking tasks require postural balance control. Human balance is produced by complex neuromuscular processes. Any limitation of these neuromuscular components can be viewed as balance impairments that may increase the probabilities of balance loss. Prolonged sitting, whole-body vibration, physical and psychological fatigues were found to be the main risk factors that are related to the occupational health problems of drivers. Balance control appears to be influenced by all of these risk factors but has not previously been systematically considered as a hazard for car driving. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of driving on postural balance performance and control. Thirty-five students from physical therapy department, Umm Al Qura University aged 21 to 23 years old were included in this study. They were divided into four groups according to two main variables; the first was the possession of a car either with manual or automatic gearbox and the second was the long distance from where they reside to the faculty place. Biodex Balance System was used to test balance performance and control. Limit of stability test was evaluated at different levels of platform perturbations for the four groups. The results of this study showed that balance performance and reaction control were affected by driving for long distance and for long duration. This study concluded that car drivers being more subjected for short period balance loss and increasing of postural sway following descending from their cars after long distance of driving.

Keywords: Balance Control; Postural Sway; Car Driving; Fatigue

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Citation

Citation: Obaid Eissa Abdulaziz Almalki. “Effect of Car Driving on Postural Balance Control”.Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 6.9 (2022): 70-83.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2022 Obaid Eissa Abdulaziz Almalki. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.