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Age differences in postural sway during volitional head movement
D M Koceja1, D Allway, D R Earles
1Department of Kinesiology and Program in Neural Science, Indiana University, Bloomington 47405, USA.
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
|December 22, 1999
Summary
Elderly individuals exhibit greater postural sway than young adults, especially during head movements. This study reveals distinct postural control strategies between age groups when performing volitional head turns.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Motor Control
- Gerontology
Background:
- Postural sway, a measure of body stability, is influenced by age and visual input.
- Volitional movements, such as head turns, can challenge postural control systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how self-paced head-turn movements affect postural sway in young and elderly adults.
- To compare postural control strategies between age groups during static and dynamic conditions.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving 10 young and 10 elderly adults.
- Postural sway measured using a force platform under four conditions: static with/without vision, and with self-paced head turns with/without vision.
- Analyzed sway amplitude, sagittal/lateral sway standard deviation, and sway frequency.
Main Results:
- Elderly subjects showed significantly greater static postural sway than young subjects, particularly in lateral sway (with vision) and sagittal sway (without vision).
- During self-paced head turns, elderly subjects significantly increased sway amplitude and decreased sway frequency.
- Young subjects did not show significant changes in postural sway profiles during head turns.
Conclusions:
- Young and elderly individuals employ different postural control strategies during volitional movements.
- Head-turn tasks reveal age-related differences in the ability to maintain stability and coordinate movements.