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A Modified Lean and Release Technique to Emphasize Response Inhibition and Action Selection in Reactive Balance

A Modified Lean and Release Technique to Emphasize Response Inhibition and Action Selection in Reactive Balance

Published on: March 19, 2020

Age effects on mediolateral balance control.

L Eduardo Cofré Lizama¹, Mirjam Pijnappels¹, Gert H Faber¹

¹MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, Faculty of Human Movement Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

|October 29, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Age-related decline in mediolateral (ML) balance impairs stability and increases fall risk. Center of Mass (CoM) tracking reliably assesses ML balance, showing age-related deficits missed by other tests.

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Area of Science:

Biomechanics
Gerontology
Motor Control

Background:

Age-related balance impairments, especially in the mediolateral (ML) direction, are a significant risk factor for falls.
Current ML balance tests lack sufficient sensitivity and reliability for accurate assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the effect of age on ML balance performance using Center of Mass (CoM) tracking.
To determine the reliability of ML balance performance measures derived from CoM tracking.

Main Methods:

Compared ML-CoM tracking performance between 19 young (26±3 years) and 19 older (72±5 years) adults.
Quantified performance using phase-shift and gain in response to predictable and unpredictable target displacements at varying frequencies.
Assessed reliability by retesting 13 older and all young adults; clinical tests and posturography were also administered.

Main Results:

Older adults exhibited significantly poorer ML balance performance (lower frequencies for phase-shift and gain thresholds) compared to young adults.
ML-CoM tracking measures demonstrated good to excellent reliability in both age groups.
Clinical balance tests showed minimal age-related differences, and posturography revealed no significant age effect.

Conclusions:

ML-CoM tracking accurately detects age-related deterioration in ML balance control.
ML-CoM tracking is a reliable and sensitive tool for assessing ML balance in both young and older adults.
This method is more sensitive to age-related balance impairments than conventional posturography and clinical tests.