The effect of handrail cross-sectional design and age on applied handrail forces during reach-to-grasp balance reactions.
J Biomech
; 129: 110788, 2021 12 02.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34666247
ABSTRACT
Handrails have been shown to reduce the likelihood of falls. Despite common use, little is known about how handrail shape and size affect the forces that people can apply after balance loss, and how these forces and the corresponding ability to recover balance depend on age. Following rapid platform translations, 16 older adults and 16 sex-matched younger adults recovered their balance using seven handrail cross-sections varying in shape and size. Younger adults were able to withstand higher perturbations, but did not apply higher forces, than older adults. However, younger adults achieved their peak resultant force more quickly, which may reflect slower rates of force generation with older adults. Considering handrail design, the 38 mm round handrails allowed participants to successfully recover from the largest perturbations and enabled the highest force generation. Conversely, tapered handrails had the poorest performance, resulting in the lowest force generation and withstood perturbation magnitudes. Our findings suggest that the handrail cross-sectional design affects the magnitude of force generation and may impact the success of recovery. Our findings can inform handrail design recommendations that support effective handrail use in demanding, balance recovery scenarios.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Força da Mão
/
Equilíbrio Postural
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Aged
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Biomech
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Canadá