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Age and gender differences in single-step recovery from a forward fall.
L A Wojcik1, D G Thelen, A B Schultz
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
Summary
Healthy older women struggle more with balance recovery than young women or older men. This is due to slower swing foot movement during a single recovery step after a forward fall.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Biomechanics
- Human Movement Science
Background:
- Previous research indicated older men have impaired balance recovery compared to young men.
- Older women experience higher rates of falls and fall-related injuries than older men.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if healthy older women exhibit poorer balance recovery than young women and older men.
- To compare the single-step balance recovery abilities across age and sex groups.
Main Methods:
- Ten young (25.0 yrs) and 10 older (73.7 yrs) healthy women participated.
- Participants were released from incremental forward leans, attempting to regain balance with one step.
- Lower extremity kinematics were measured and compared to previous studies on men.
Main Results:
- Five older women failed to recover balance from the smallest lean angle.
- Older women who succeeded had a significantly smaller maximum lean angle (16.2°) than young women (30.7°) and older men (23.9°).
- No significant difference in maximum lean angle was found between young women and young men.
Conclusions:
- Healthy older women demonstrated significantly reduced ability to recover balance via a single step compared to young women and older men.
- This deficit in older women appears linked to limitations in their swing foot speed during recovery.
- Findings highlight age- and sex-related differences in dynamic balance control mechanisms.