Age-related changes in postural control in older women: transitional tasks in step initiation
Background: Aging, being a natural process, involves many functional and structural changes within the body. Identifying the age-related postural changes will provide insight into the role of aging on postural control during locomotion. The aim of this study was to identify age-related postural changes during a transitional task under different conditions.
Methods: Sixty healthy females divided into three age groups: A (50-60 y/o), B (60-70 y/o), and C (70-80 y/o). The transitional task was measured by two force platforms. The procedure consisted of three phases: quiet standing, transfer onto a second platform, and quiet standing on the second platform. Four different conditions were applied: unperturbed transfer, obstacle crossing, step-up, and step-down. Double-support time, transit time, and stability time before and after the step task were analyzed.
Results: The transit time was longer by 30% for subjects over 70 y/o. The double-support time was longer by 11% among adults 60-70 y/o, while in people over 70 y/o it was longer by almost 50% compared to the 50-60 y/o subjects. The stability time before the transitional task was longer by 17% among adults over 60 y/o compared to middle-age subjects. The stability times before and after the transitional task were longer for adults in the 50-60 y/o category.
Conclusion: The proposed procedure is adequate for assessing age-related changes in postural control while undergoing a transitional task. An analysis of the double-support time and stability time before and after the step task enabled the detection of early signs of balance changes in middle-age adults. Independent of age, the transitional task parameters changed with the increasing difficulty of the tasks.
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Posted 07 Jan, 2021
On 10 Dec, 2020
Received 07 Dec, 2020
Received 25 Nov, 2020
Received 25 Nov, 2020
On 17 Nov, 2020
On 16 Nov, 2020
Invitations sent on 15 Nov, 2020
On 15 Nov, 2020
On 07 Nov, 2020
On 07 Nov, 2020
On 07 Nov, 2020
On 07 Oct, 2020
Received 29 Sep, 2020
Received 21 Sep, 2020
On 08 Sep, 2020
On 07 Sep, 2020
Received 21 Aug, 2020
On 05 Aug, 2020
Invitations sent on 23 Jul, 2020
On 22 Jul, 2020
On 15 Jul, 2020
On 14 Jul, 2020
On 08 Jul, 2020
Age-related changes in postural control in older women: transitional tasks in step initiation
Posted 07 Jan, 2021
On 10 Dec, 2020
Received 07 Dec, 2020
Received 25 Nov, 2020
Received 25 Nov, 2020
On 17 Nov, 2020
On 16 Nov, 2020
Invitations sent on 15 Nov, 2020
On 15 Nov, 2020
On 07 Nov, 2020
On 07 Nov, 2020
On 07 Nov, 2020
On 07 Oct, 2020
Received 29 Sep, 2020
Received 21 Sep, 2020
On 08 Sep, 2020
On 07 Sep, 2020
Received 21 Aug, 2020
On 05 Aug, 2020
Invitations sent on 23 Jul, 2020
On 22 Jul, 2020
On 15 Jul, 2020
On 14 Jul, 2020
On 08 Jul, 2020
Background: Aging, being a natural process, involves many functional and structural changes within the body. Identifying the age-related postural changes will provide insight into the role of aging on postural control during locomotion. The aim of this study was to identify age-related postural changes during a transitional task under different conditions.
Methods: Sixty healthy females divided into three age groups: A (50-60 y/o), B (60-70 y/o), and C (70-80 y/o). The transitional task was measured by two force platforms. The procedure consisted of three phases: quiet standing, transfer onto a second platform, and quiet standing on the second platform. Four different conditions were applied: unperturbed transfer, obstacle crossing, step-up, and step-down. Double-support time, transit time, and stability time before and after the step task were analyzed.
Results: The transit time was longer by 30% for subjects over 70 y/o. The double-support time was longer by 11% among adults 60-70 y/o, while in people over 70 y/o it was longer by almost 50% compared to the 50-60 y/o subjects. The stability time before the transitional task was longer by 17% among adults over 60 y/o compared to middle-age subjects. The stability times before and after the transitional task were longer for adults in the 50-60 y/o category.
Conclusion: The proposed procedure is adequate for assessing age-related changes in postural control while undergoing a transitional task. An analysis of the double-support time and stability time before and after the step task enabled the detection of early signs of balance changes in middle-age adults. Independent of age, the transitional task parameters changed with the increasing difficulty of the tasks.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4