Table 1_Condition-specific mediolateral sway and task-dependent postural complexity in individuals with generalized joint hypermobility.docx

Pairwise comparisons targeted the eyes-closed tasks. Mixed-design ANOVA examined the effects of group and condition on balance parameters (α = 0.05). Spearman correlations between COP and MSE metrics were computed for each group across all six conditions (FDR-corrected); between-group differences in correlation strength were further tested via Fisher’s r-to-z transformation.

Trial-to-trial reliability was assessed via ICC (2,1).</p>Results<p>For COP metrics, ANOVA revealed significant task main effects across most parameters (P < 0.01, except LFS). Except for AP_SI (P = 0.04), no other significant main effects of group were observed (P > 0.05). Group × task interactions were not significant.

Pairwise comparisons indicated that under the LEC, the GJH group showed significantly greater AP_SI and ML_Amp (FDRq <0.05) and smaller ML_SI (FDRq <0.05). For MSE metrics, significant group × task interactions (P < 0.05), group main effects and task main effects (P < 0.01) were observed across most parameters. The GJH displayed significantly higher MSE during bipedal and right-limb tasks (P < 0.05).

However, these between-group differences were a descriptive pattern of attenuation with increasing task difficulty. Twenty-nine COP-MSE correlations reached FDR significance in the GJH group, versus none in healthy controls. However, direct between-group comparisons using Fisher’s r-to-z transformation, FDR-corrected across all 204 COP-MSE pairs, did not identify a significant difference in correlation strength.</p>Conclusion<p>Individuals with young GJH showed localized, condition-specific differences in mediolateral sway during LEC and a descriptive pattern of task-dependent attenuation in postural complexity as demands increased.

Combining COP parameters with MSE analysis provided complementary insights that could be captured by neither measure alone.</p>