The relationship between acceleration in sit-to-stand and falls in community-dwelling older adults: cross-sectional study.
Korin Tateoka, Taishi Tsuji, Takuro Shoji and 2 others
PMID 38304148WHAT IT FOUND
In community-dwelling older adults, lower maximum power and velocity during a single sit-to-stand movement were associated with a history of falls.
This sensor-based measure remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, BMI, and pain, unlike the standard 5-repetition test.
Key findings
01Maximum power (MP) and maximum velocity (MV) during sit-to-stand were significantly associated with fall history after adjustment for confounders.
02The standard 5-times sit-to-stand test was not significantly associated with fall history after adjustment, unlike the sensor-derived power and velocity metrics.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that low power causes falls; it only shows an association with past fall history. Participants were volunteers who attended measurement sessions, meaning they were likely healthier than the general community population. Fall history was self-reported via questionnaire and defined as any fall, without distinguishing between single falls and recurrent falls or considering fall injuries. The sample size was moderate (n=330) and limited to a specific geographic region in Japan.
Declared interests
The work was supported by a JST grant. The authors declared no conflicts of interest, and the funders had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, or manuscript preparation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the traditional 5-times sit-to-stand test is ineffective for screening fall risk. Its lack of significance in this specific adjusted model does not mean it has no clinical value, particularly for patients who cannot perform the single-effort test or where sensor technology is unavailable.