Abstract
Aim. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of a traumatic event experienced by the subject on postural balance and biomechanical parameters of gait.
Research methodology. The study involved 31 people (n = 100%), including 22 women (nk% = 70.97%), 9 men (nm% = 29.03), aged 29-60. People with diseases and dysfunctions affecting body balance and gait pattern were excluded from the study.
Balance and gait tests were performed using pedobarography (pedobarograph mod. EPS R2, Biomech Studio v2 software). The balance test was performed while standing, for 20 seconds, with sampling every 1 ms (millisecond) – the number of samples during one test is 20,000. The balance and gait assessment tests were performed twice. Test I included testing in neutral conditions, Test II included testing in conditions in which the subject was exposed
to a traumatic event he or she had experienced in the past (so-called exposure to “experienced trauma”).
Results. The obtained results of studies on the impact of exposure to experienced trauma on body balance while standing showed significant differences in body fluctuations in the most important parameters of stabilometric assessment.
The obtained results of research on the impact of exposure to trauma on the subject’s gait showed no significant differences between the test in neutral conditions and the test during exposure.
Conclusions. (1) Exposure to the trauma experienced by the subject significantly affects the body’s balance in a standing position. (2) The research showed no influence of exposure to the experienced trauma on the subject’s gait in the area of the time of contact of the feet with the ground and on the values of maximum and average pressure; The area of the plane where the feet are placed on the ground changes significantly before and after exposure to the trauma experienced by the subject. (3) In research on the impact of trauma on body posture, detailed results of studies on the range of COP fluctuations in each plane should be taken into account – the study showed that the analysis of only average results may significantly indicate an incorrect result in the assessment of body balance.

Keywords
stress, trauma, PTSD, body balance, gait, stabilometry, pedobarography