Overview
The International Society for Posture and Gait Research (ISPGR), formerly called the International Society of Posturography is a staff-supported, member driven organization with 500+ members located in over 20 countries around the world.
The society provides a multidisciplinary forum for basic and clinical scientists, provides member benefits and holds regular meetings in order to:
- Present and discuss the latest reseach and clinical findings relating to the control of posture and gait and related disorders.
- Facilitate interaction between members who meet from all corners of the globe.
- Promote the broad discipline of posture and gait research.
History
The International Society for Posture and Gait Research was formed in 1969 under the name the International Society of Posturography, by a group of basic scientists and clinicians who had similar interests in quantifying postural sway during stance. Most of the Society members in the first years were from Europe and Japan.
The first meetings took place in Madrid (1971), Smolenica (1973), Paris (1975), Sofia (1977), Amsterdam (1979), Kyoto (1981), and Houston (1983). At the 1983 meeting in Houston the founders realized that interest in posturography had expanded to include the entire area of balance and gait control and at the annual meeting in 1986, the Society was renamed to its current name.
By the 1992 meeting in Portland, Oregon, the Society had grown to over 300 members worldwide and member interests expanded to include sensory and motor control neurophysiology, biomechanics, movement disorders, neural circuitry, vestibular function, neurological disorders, effects of development and aging, rehabilitation, robotics, modeling, neural compensation, and motor learning as related to control of balance and gait.
In 2010, recognizing opportunities to grow the organization, the board secured professional association and conference management support and made the decision to host a conference with the Gait and Mental Function Conference. The first joint ISPGR and Gait and Mental Function group conference is scheduled for June 23-28, 2012 in Trondheim Norway.