Therapeutic Interventions Exam 2 Practice

When balance is challenged by a large perturbation, the body often relies on a proximal control pattern: the hip strategy. This approach uses hip flexors and extensors to move the trunk and pelvis, rotating the upper body over the hips so the center of mass can be brought back toward the center of gravity over the base of support. The hip joints generate larger, rapid torques than the ankles, which is why this strategy is favored when disturbances are big and the center of gravity is approaching the limit of stability.

In contrast, ankle-based adjustments make small corrections within the base of support, and stepping adds a new base of support by taking a step when the perturbation is too large to be managed by the hips and ankles alone. The other term listed isn’t part of the standard pattern used for this scenario.