Individual factors affecting stabilometry and one-leg hop test in 75 healthy subjects, aged 15-44 years

The aims of this study were: 1) to investigate whether single-limb stabilometry and a one-leg hop test are influenced by age, sex, height, weight or activity level in healthy subjects, 2) to examine possible differences between the right and the left leg, 3) to determine Limb Symmetry Index (LSI) values, and 4) to study the relation between the stabilometric variables, that is, average speed (AS) and amplitude of center of pressure (CP) movements. Seventy-five healthy subjects (39 women) were studied, with a mean age of 29.5 years (SD 8.2, range 15-44), mean height 175 cm (SD 8.6, range 155-194), mean weight 67.8 kg (SD 9.7, range 50-90) and median value 8 (quartiles 8-9, range 7-10) on a 1-10 activity-level scale. AS was higher among the men compared to the women and increased with increasing age. The females hopped shorter distances than the males. The hop distance decreased with increasing age among the women. Height, weight and activity level within the actual range had no significant influence on stabilometric or hop-test values. When comparing patients with healthy subjects, they should be matched according to sex and age, with an age difference of less than 10 years within pairs.