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Updated: May 19, 2026
Using Motion Capture Technology in the Instrumented Timed Up and Go Test to Detect the Risk of Falling in Aged Adults
Published on: October 25, 2024
Inferior physical performance tests in 10,998 men in the MrOS study is associated with recurrent falls
Magnus K Karlsson1, Eva Ribom, Jan-Åke Nilsson
1Department of Clinical Science and Orthopaedics, Skane University Hospital, Lund University, SE-205 20 Malmo, Sweden. magnus.karlsson@med.lu.se
Background:
recurrent fallers are at especially high risk for injuries.
Objective:
to study whether tests of physical performance are associated with recurrent falls.
Subjects:
a total of 10,998 men aged 65 years or above.
Methods:
questionnaires evaluated falls sustained 12 months preceding testing of grip strength, timed stand, 6-m walk and 20-cm narrow walk test. Means with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) are reported. P < 0.01 is a statistically significant difference.
Results:
in comparison to both occasional fallers and non-fallers, recurrent fallers performed more poorly on all the physical ability tests (all P < 0.001). A score below -2 standard deviations (SDs) in the right-hand grip strength test was associated with an odds ratio of 2.4 (95% CI 1.7, 3.4) for having had recurrent falls compared with having had no fall and of 2.0 (95% CI 1.3, 3.4) for having had recurrent falls compared with having had an occasional fall.
Conclusion:
low performance in physical ability tests are in elderly men associated with recurrent falls.
