Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Influence of obesity on accurate and rapid arm movement performed from a standing posture

International Journal of Obesity volume 30, pages 1750–1757 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Introduction:

Obesity yields a decreased postural stability. The potentially negative impact of obesity on the control of upper limb movements, however, has not been documented. This study sought to examine if obesity imposes an additional balance control constraint limiting the speed and accuracy with which an upper limb goal-directed movement performed from an upright standing position can be executed.

Method:

Eight healthy lean subjects (body mass index (BMI) between 20.9 and 25.0 kg/m2) and nine healthy obese subjects (BMI between 30.5 and 48.6 kg/m2) pointed to a target located in front of them from an upright standing posture. The task was to aim at the target as fast and as precisely as possible after an auditory signal. The difficulty of the task was varied by using different target sizes (0.5, 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 cm width). Hand movement time (MT) and velocity profiles were measured to quantify the aiming. Centre of pressure and segmental kinematics were analysed to document postural stability.

Results:

When aiming, the forward centre of pressure (CP) displacement was greater for the obese group than for the normal BMI group (4.6 and 1.9 cm, respectively). For the obese group, a decrease in the target size was associated with an increase in backward CP displacement and CP peak speed whereas for the normal BMI group backward CP displacements and CP peak speed were about the same across all target sizes. Obese participants aimed at the target moving their whole body forward whereas the normal BMI subjects predominantly made an elbow extension and shoulder flexion. For both groups, MT increased with a decreasing target size. Compare to the normal BMI group, this effect was exacerbated for the obese group. For the two smallest targets, movements were on average 115 and 145 ms slower for the obese than for the normal BMI group suggesting that obesity added a balance constraint and limited the speed with which an accurate movement could be done.

Summary:

Obesity, because of its effects on the control of balance, also imposes constraints on goal-directed movements. From a clinical perspective, obese individuals might be less efficient and more at risk of injuries than normal weight individuals in a large number of work tasks and daily activities requiring upper limb movements performed from an upright standing position.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. NTFPTO. Overweight, obesity, and health risk. National task force on the prevention and treatment of obesity. Arch Intern Med 2000; 160: 898–904.

  2. Janssen I, Katzmarzyk PT, Ross R . Body mass index, waist circumference, and health risk: evidence in support of current National Institutes of Health guidelines. Arch Intern Med 2002; 162: 2074–2079.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Bray GA . Medical consequences of obesity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2004; 89: 2583–2589.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Rodacki AL, Fowler NE, Provensi CL, Rodacki Cde L, Dezan VH . Body mass as a factor in stature change. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon) 2005; 20: 799–805.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Fabris de Souza SA, Faintuch J, Valezi AC, Spiegelman D, Rimm E, Feskanich D et al. Postural changes in morbidly obese patients. Obes Surg 2005; 15: 1013–1016.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Owusu W, Willet W, Ascherio A, Sant'Anna AF, Gama-Rodrigues JJ, de Batista Fonseca IC et al. Body anthropometry and the risk of hip and wrist fractures in men: results from a prospective study. Obes Res 1998; 6: 12–19.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Petti S, Cairella G, Tarsitani G . Childhood obesity: a risk factor for traumatic injuries to anterior teeth. Endodontics Dental Traumatol 1997; 13: 285–288.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Goulding A, Jones IE, Taylor RW, Piggot JM, Taylor D . Dynamic and static tests of balance and postural sway in boys: effects of previous wrist bone fractures and high adiposity. Gait Posture 2003; 17: 136–141.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. McGraw B, McClenaghan BA, Williams HG, Dickerson J, Ward DS . Gait and postural stability in obese and nonobese prepubertal boys. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2000; 81: 484–489.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Bernard PL, Geraci M, Hue O, Amato M, Seynnes O, Lantieri D . [Influence of obesity on postural capacities of teenagers. Preliminary study]. Ann Réadaptation Méd Phys 2003; 46: 184–190.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Corbeil P, Simoneau M, Rancourt D, Tremblay A, Teasdale N . Increased risk for falling associated with obesity: mathematical modeling of postural control. IEEE Trans Neural Systems Rehabil Eng 2001; 9: 126–136.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Spyropoulos P, Pisciotta JC, Pavlou KN, Cairns MA, Simon SR . Biomechanical gait analysis in obese men. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 1991; 72: 1065–1070.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Hills AP, Parker AW . Gait characteristics of obese pre-pubertal children: effects of diet and exercise on parameters. Int J Rehabil Res 1991; 14: 348–349.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Hills AP, Parker AW . Locomotor characteristics of obese children. Child Care Health Dev 1992; 18: 29–34.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Menz HB, Lord SR, Fitzpatrick RC . Age-related differences in walking stability. Age Ageing 2003; 32: 137–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Owings TM, Grabiner MD . Variability of step kinematics in young and older adults. Gait Posture 2004; 20: 26–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Corbeil P, Teasdale N, Simoneau M, Bard C, Fleury M, Martin O . Effects of weight loss on the control of a sit-to-stand task: preliminary results. Gait and Posture 1999; 9 Suppl 1: S58.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Galli M, Crivellini M, Sibella F, Montesano A, Bertocco P, Parisio C . Sit-to-stand movement analysis in obese subjects. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000; 24: 1488–1492.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Sibella F, Galli M, Romei M, Montesano A, Crivellini M . Biomechanical analysis of sit-to-stand movement in normal and obese subjects. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon) 2003; 18: 745–750.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Berrigan F, Simoneau M, Martin O, Teasdale N . Coordination between posture and movement: interaction between postural and accuracy constraints. Exp Brain Res 2006; 170: 255–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Savelsbergh GJ, Bennett SJ, Angelakopoulos GT, Davids K . Perceptual-motor organization of children's catching behaviour under different postural constraints. Neurosci Lett 2005; 373: 153–158.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Davids K, Bennett S, Kingsbury D, Jolley L, Brain T . Effects of postural constraints on children's catching behavior. Res Q Exerc Sport 2000; 71: 69–73.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Fitts PM . The information capacity of the human motor system controlling the amplitude of the movement. J Exp Psychol 1954; 47: 381–391.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Fitts PM, Peterson JR . Information capacity of discrete motor responses. J Exp Psychol 1964; 67: 103–112.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Dounskaia N, Wisleder D, Johnson T . Influence of biomechanical factors on substructure of pointing movements. Exp Brain Res 2005; 164: 505–516.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Plamondon R, Alimi AM . Speed/accuracy trade-offs in target-directed movements. Behav Brain Sci 1997; 20: 279–303; discussion 303–49.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Marteniuk RG, MacKenzie CL, Jeannerod M, Athenes S, Dugas C . Constraints on human arm movement trajectories. Can J Psychol 1987; 41: 365–378.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Bock O . Early stages of load compensation in human aimed arm movements. Behav Brain Res 1993; 55: 61–68.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Bock O . Load compensation in human goal-directed arm movements. Behav Brain Res 1990; 41: 167–177.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Welford AT, Norris AH, Shock NW . Speed and accuracy of movement and their changes with age. Acta Psychol (Amst) 1969; 30: 3–15.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Martin O, Teasdale N, Simoneau M, Corbeil P, Bourdin C . Pointing to a target from an upright position; tuning of postural responses when there is target uncertainty. Neurosci Lett 2000; 281: 53–56.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Froom P, Melamed S, Kristal-Boneh E, Gofer D, Ribak J . Industrial accidents are related to relative body weight: the Israeli CORDIS study. Occup Environ Med 1996; 53: 832–835.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Bhattacherjee A, Chau N, Sierra CO, Legras B, Benamghar L, Michaely JP et al., Lorhandicap Group. Relationships of job and some individual characteristics to occupational injuries in employed people: a community-based study. J Occup Health 2003; 45: 382–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Chau N, Gauchard GC, Siegfried C, Benamghar L, Dangelzer JL, Francais M et al. Relationships of job, age, and life conditions with the causes and severity of occupational injuries in construction workers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2004; 77: 60–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Groupe de Recherche en Analyse du Mouvement et Ergonomie (GRAME), Québec, Canada

    F Berrigan, M Simoneau, O Hue & N Teasdale

  2. Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Activité Physique (LABSAP), Québec, Canada

    A Tremblay

Authors
  1. F Berrigan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M Simoneau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A Tremblay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. O Hue
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. N Teasdale
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to N Teasdale.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Berrigan, F., Simoneau, M., Tremblay, A. et al. Influence of obesity on accurate and rapid arm movement performed from a standing posture. Int J Obes 30, 1750–1757 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803342

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803342

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links