Neuromuscular determinants of slip-induced falls and recoveries in older adults

Is there a neuromuscular basis for falls? If so, it may provide new insight into falls and their assessment and treatment. We hypothesized that falls and recoveries from a laboratory-induced slip would be characterized by differences in multimuscle coordination patterns. Using muscle synergy analysis, we identified different multimuscle coordination patterns between older adults who fell and those who recovered from a laboratory-induced "feet-forward" slip. Participants who fell recruited fewer muscle synergies than participants who recovered. This suggests that a fall may result from recruitment of an inadequate number of muscle synergies to produce the necessary mechanical functions required to maintain balance. Participants who fell also recruited different muscle synergies, including one with high levels of coactivity consistent with a startle-like response. These differences in multimuscle coordination between slip outcomes were not accompanied by differences in slip difficulty or gait kinematics before or during the slip response. The differences in neuromuscular control may therefore reflect differences in sensorimotor control rather than kinematic constraints imposed by the slip, or the musculoskeletal system. Further research is required to test the robustness of these results and their interpretation with respect to additional mechanical variables (e.g., joint torques, ground reaction forces), responses to other fall types (e.g., trips), and within rather than between individuals. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Do falls and recoveries possess distinct neuromuscular features? We identified differences in neuromuscular control between older adults who fell and those who recovered from a "feet-forward" slip. Differences in neuromuscular control were not accompanied by differences in gait or slip kinematics before or during the slip response, suggesting differences in sensorimotor control rather than kinematics dictated the observed differences in neuromuscular control. An analysis of additional mechanical variables is required to confirm this interpretation.