Process of dynamic balance recovery after voluntary perturbation: a time-series data analysis of young and older adults.
Daisuke Kimura, Kosuke Oku, Issei Ogasawara and 2 others
PMID 39239407WHAT IT FOUND
Healthy older adults took longer to steady themselves after a step-down than young adults.
They showed greater sway in the first second and did not reach a stable baseline by three seconds, unlike the younger group.
Key findings
01Older adults exhibited significantly greater center-of-pressure sway than young adults across all time intervals, including the 4-5s baseline.
02Regression analysis showed older adults had a larger initial disturbance coefficient and a higher final stabilization constant, indicating slower and less complete recovery.
03Young adults reached a stable sway level by 2-3 seconds, whereas older adults still showed significant differences between the 2-3 second interval and the baseline.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study only included healthy, highly active older adults with no history of falls, so results do not apply to patients with balance impairments or fall risk. The step-down task could not be performed by patients with a history of falls in preliminary tests, limiting its clinical utility for the most relevant population. Movement speed during the step-down was not standardized or measured, which could influence sway results. The study did not compare the step-down task to other balance assessments, so its relative value is unknown. Ceiling effects were noted in static balance tasks, and the step-down task may lack relevance for healthy older adults with high motor function.
Declared interests
Funded by JSPS KAKENHI. The funder had no role in the study. No conflicts of interest declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this task is ready for clinical use with fall-risk patients. The authors state that patients with a history of falls could not perform the step-down task, and the study only tested healthy, high-functioning older adults.