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Leg preference associated with protective stepping responses in older adults

Leg preference associated with protective stepping responses in older adults
Leg preference associated with protective stepping responses in older adults
Background: asymmetries in dynamic balance stability have been previously observed. The goal of this study was to determine whether leg preference influenced the stepping response to a waist-pull perturbation in older adult fallers and non-fallers.

Methods: 39 healthy, community-dwelling, older adult (> 65 years) volunteers participated. Participants were grouped into non-faller and faller cohorts based on fall history in the 12 months prior to the study. Participants received 60 lateral waist-pull perturbations of varying magnitude towards their preferred and non-preferred sides during quiet standing. Outcome measures included balance tolerance limit, number of recovery steps taken and type of recovery step taken for perturbations to each side.

Findings: no significant differences in balance tolerance limit (P ? 0.102) or number of recovery steps taken (?2partial ? 0.027; P ? 0.442) were observed between perturbations towards the preferred and non-preferred legs. However, non-faller participants more frequently responded with a medial step when pulled towards their non-preferred side and cross-over steps when pulled towards their preferred side (P = 0.015).

Interpretation: leg preference may influence the protective stepping response to standing balance perturbations in older adults at risk for falls, particularly with the type of recovery responses used. Such asymmetries in balance stability recovery may represent a contributing factor for falls among older individuals and should be considered for rehabilitation interventions aimed at improving balance stability and reducing fall risk
0268-0033
927-932
Young, Patricia M.
733ded23-fc3a-4e52-8b17-4593c3a1fb02
Whitall, Jill
9761aefb-be80-4270-bc1f-0e726399376e
Bair, Woei-Nan
8196d429-86ff-4bc2-b94a-88219b51379a
Rogers, Mark W.
70500a76-63ad-4bdf-ab9f-ac7deaac7fbd
Young, Patricia M.
733ded23-fc3a-4e52-8b17-4593c3a1fb02
Whitall, Jill
9761aefb-be80-4270-bc1f-0e726399376e
Bair, Woei-Nan
8196d429-86ff-4bc2-b94a-88219b51379a
Rogers, Mark W.
70500a76-63ad-4bdf-ab9f-ac7deaac7fbd

Young, Patricia M., Whitall, Jill, Bair, Woei-Nan and Rogers, Mark W. (2013) Leg preference associated with protective stepping responses in older adults. Clinical Biomechanics, 28 (8), 927-932. (doi:10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2013.07.015). (PMID:23962655)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: asymmetries in dynamic balance stability have been previously observed. The goal of this study was to determine whether leg preference influenced the stepping response to a waist-pull perturbation in older adult fallers and non-fallers.

Methods: 39 healthy, community-dwelling, older adult (> 65 years) volunteers participated. Participants were grouped into non-faller and faller cohorts based on fall history in the 12 months prior to the study. Participants received 60 lateral waist-pull perturbations of varying magnitude towards their preferred and non-preferred sides during quiet standing. Outcome measures included balance tolerance limit, number of recovery steps taken and type of recovery step taken for perturbations to each side.

Findings: no significant differences in balance tolerance limit (P ? 0.102) or number of recovery steps taken (?2partial ? 0.027; P ? 0.442) were observed between perturbations towards the preferred and non-preferred legs. However, non-faller participants more frequently responded with a medial step when pulled towards their non-preferred side and cross-over steps when pulled towards their preferred side (P = 0.015).

Interpretation: leg preference may influence the protective stepping response to standing balance perturbations in older adults at risk for falls, particularly with the type of recovery responses used. Such asymmetries in balance stability recovery may represent a contributing factor for falls among older individuals and should be considered for rehabilitation interventions aimed at improving balance stability and reducing fall risk

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More information

Published date: October 2013
Organisations: Faculty of Health Sciences

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 361395
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/361395
ISSN: 0268-0033
PURE UUID: 7ed0dbb5-fcde-4df7-afab-acf8eb33806c

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Date deposited: 20 Jan 2014 09:14
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 15:50

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Contributors

Author: Patricia M. Young
Author: Jill Whitall
Author: Woei-Nan Bair
Author: Mark W. Rogers

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