  The purpose of the present experiment was to investigate the effects of
cervical muscular fatigue on postural control during quiet standing under
different conditions of reliability and/or availability of somatosensory inputs
from the plantar soles and the ankles and visual information. To this aim, 14
young healthy adults were asked to sway as little as possible in three sensory
conditions (No vision, No vision-Foam support and Vision) executed in two
conditions of No fatigue and Fatigue of the scapula elevator muscles. Centre of
foot pressure (CoP) displacements were recorded using a force platform. Results
showed that (1) the cervical muscular fatigue yielded increased CoP
displacements in the absence of vision, (2) this effect was more accentuated
when somatosensation was degraded by standing on a foam surface and (3) the
availability of vision allowed the individuals to suppress this destabilising
effect. On the whole, these findings not only stress the importance of intact
cervical neuromuscular function on postural control during quiet standing, but
also suggest a reweigthing of sensory cues in balance control following
cervical muscular fatigue by increasing the reliance on the somatosensory
inputs from the plantar soles and the ankles and visual information.
