Abstract

Postural stability is essential in people’s daily life. Crossing time zones can disrupt our body clock and lead to jet lag. Some studies reported that jet lag affects human physical and cognitive functions. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, none of these studies examined the effects of jet lag on postural stability. Twenty-two healthy young adult males between 23 and 36 years of age who had a round trip flight planned between the United States and Saudi Arabia were recruited. Participants attended one preflight assessment and three post-flight assessments (within 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours). Participants were divided into 2 groups based on their selection upon arrival (group 1: post-flight visit 1 prior sleeping at home and group 2: attended post-flight visit 1 after sleeping one night at home). Participant’s postural stability was assessed using computerized dynamic posturography. A questionnaire was used to measure their experiences during the flight. Significant improvements in postural stability were observed in group 2 during the second post-flight assessment (p<0.05). There was a no significant impact on participant’s postural stability while flying westward crossing more than ten time zones during the first twenty-four hours; however, it was improved within seventy-two hours. Many body systems contribute to support postural stability, one of which is the vestibular system. Vestibular rehabilitation has many terminology conflicts that can have a negative impact on patient management and general understanding of the content. Therefore, the author performed a literature review to identify several of these conflicts and provided recommendations for minimizing these conflicts.

LLU Discipline

Physical Therapy

Department

Physical Education

School

School of Allied Health Professions

First Advisor

Eric Johnson

Second Advisor

Heidi Aranda

Third Advisor

Tim Cordett

Fourth Advisor

Noha Daher

Degree Name

Doctor of Science (DSc)

Degree Level

D.Sc.

Year Degree Awarded

2016

Date (Title Page)

3-2016

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Jet Lag Syndrome; Balance, Postural Evaluation

Type

Dissertation

Page Count

xii, 65 p.

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

Download

Share

COinS