Rehabilitation of patients after the brain injury requires employing of all available mechanisms of neuroplasticity. To achieve it, the voluntary activation of brain systems that are involved in the signal processing, represents the most effective tool. The control of balance is a complex neuronal mechanism based on unconditioned and conditioned reflexes, as well as on the actual cognitive processes. As it requires participation of several brain regions, training of the posture support mechanisms can provide a highly effective tool for rehabilitation. The aim of the study was to develop methods for the long-term follow up and training of the balance skills in patients with different types of brain impairment. To obtain standard data, the stabilometric platform Posturograph STP-03 and special examination programs were also used in the study of the equilibrium skill training by healthy volunteers. For the assessment of the learning efficiency two criteria from the recorded data were used - the velocity of adjustment of the gravity centre and the accuracy of the movements. Stabilometric platform was used also for the balance skill training with the visual biofeedback. Our results show that the proposed program for the equilibrium skill training offers a comparatively simple method of the adequate duration with numerical and graphical output, which allows fast interpretation of the treatment results. The synoptic form of results can also stimulate the patient's motivation during the long-term training for the mobility improvement.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of the 1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague General Teaching Hospital Czech Republic