Comparison and age-level differences among various step tests for evaluating balance ability in the elderly

This study aimed to examine the difficulty among various step tests (place step, forward single step, forward double step, forward right single step and stairs step) in evaluating the dynamic balance in the elderly and their age level differences. Thirty-two healthy elderly people (age 71.4+/-6.4 years) and twenty young people performed step tests for 10 s to the pace of a metronome (120 bpm). Evaluation parameters were the time difference between the metronome sound and the time when each foot hit the ground as well as the stride time. The forward single step test had significantly larger values for both of the above parameters than the other tests. A significant age level difference was found in the forward single step test for the time difference and in the forward single step and stairs step tests for the stride time, being longer in the elderly. It was concluded that the forward single step test has larger age-level differences and is more difficult to carry out than the other step tests.