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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Inefficient postural responses to unexpected slips during walking in older adults | | Author(s) | Pei-Fang Tang, Marjorie H Woollacott |
| Journal title | The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological sciences and medical sciences, vol 53A, no 6, November 1998 |
| Pages | pp M471-M480 |
| Keywords | Mobility ; Gait loss ; Falls ; Injuries ; Living in the community ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Slips account for a high percentage of falls and subsequent injuries in older people. This study tested the hypothesis that active and healthy older adults use a less effective reactive balance strategy than young adults when experiencing an unexpected forward slip occurring at heal strike during walking. This less effective balance strategy would be manifested by slower and smaller postural responses, altered temporal and spatial organisation of the postural responses, and greater upper body instability after the slip. 33 young adults aged 19-34 and 32 older adults aged 70-87 participated in the test simulating a forward slip. Although the predominant postural muscles and the activation sequence of these muscles were similar between the age groups, the posture responses of older people were of longer onset latencies, smaller magnitudes, and longer burst durations - resulting in an inefficient balance strategy. Older adults needed secondary compensatory adjustments, including a lengthened response duration and use of the arms, to fully regain balance and prevent a fall. Shorter stride length and earlier contralateral foot strike after a slip indicate older people use a more conservative balance strategy. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-990302007 A |
| Classmark | C4: C8G: OLF: CU: K4: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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