Age-related changes in postural control in older women: transitional tasks in step initiation.
BMC Geriatr
; 21(1): 17, 2021 01 06.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33407197
ABSTRACT
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.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Cognição
/
Equilíbrio Postural
Limite:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMC Geriatr
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article