Raising and stabilization phase of the sit-to-stand movement better discriminate healthy elderly adults from young subjects: a pilot cross-sectional study.

Only 24 younger adults and 28 elderly adults were studied, and all elderly participants came from one nursing home, so the results may not apply to older adults who live alone or are less independent. All participants were functionally independent, with elderly Functional Independence Measure scores above 100, so the study says little about people with more severe balance or mobility problems. The authors note that sarcopenia, frailty, comorbidity, and drug intake were not included as confounding factors. Steady standing was identified visually, which the authors say could bias the earlier steady-standing result. The authors state that clinical applications remain to be defined and that further studies with validated balance tools and wider samples are needed.

Do not conclude that force-platform sit-to-stand sway predicts falls or that changing exercise speed is supported by this study. The study compared young and functionally independent elderly adults on platform parameters only, and the authors say clinical applications remain to be defined.