Dynamic balance control in elders: gait initiation assessment as a screening tool

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Biomechanics
• Neurology

Background:

• Dynamic balance is crucial for elderly mobility and fall prevention.
• Assessing balance during gait initiation is challenging but vital for identifying at-risk individuals.
• The center of gravity-center of pressure (CG-CP) moment arm quantifies dynamic balance control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the center of gravity-center of pressure (CG-CP) moment arm during gait initiation as a screening tool for dynamic balance in elderly patients.
• To determine if CG-CP moment arm measurements can differentiate healthy elders from those with balance impairments.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving three groups of elderly subjects: healthy elders (HE), disabled elders (DE), and elders with vestibular hypofunction (VH).
• Measurements of the peak CG-CP moment arm during gait initiation were recorded.
• Cutoff points for the peak CG-CP moment arm were established to predict group membership.

Main Results:

• The peak CG-CP moment arm was significantly larger in healthy elders compared to disabled elders and those with vestibular hypofunction (p<.01).
• The peak CG-CP moment arm occurred at the end of the single stance phase across all groups.
• The peak moment arm demonstrated over 50% sensitivity and specificity in discriminating healthy from disabled elders using cutoff points between 16 and 18 cm.

Conclusions:

• The CG-CP moment arm during single stance in gait initiation effectively discriminates between non-disabled and disabled older adults.
• This measure shows potential as a screening tool for identifying balance dysfunction in the elderly population.
• Further research is warranted to validate its use in clinical settings.