One-legged stance sway of older adults with and without falls

Postural instability is a common problem among older people, and it is associated with mobility impairments, activity limitation and fear of falling. The evaluation of postural control can contribute to the early detection of balance deficits and help health professionals to manage this problem to prevent falls in older adults. The aim of this study was to identify center of pressure cut-offs to differentiate between older adults with and without falls in the past 12 months. The participants were 170 older adults (mean age 67 years, 50 fallers and 120 non-fallers). Center of pressure area and sway velocity in the anterior-posterior and medio-lateral directions were assessed using a force platform during three 30s one-legged stance trials with eyes open. The mean across trials was used for analysis. The time-limit (how long the participant was able to stay in one-legged stance, up to 30s) was also assessed. Fallers had poorer postural control than non-fallers (effect size ≥ 0.52, P <0.05). The cut-offs identified were 10.3 cm2 for Center of pressure area, 2.9 cm/s for velocity in the anterior-posterior, and 3.4 cm/s for medio-lateral velocity. The force platform parameters obtained an area under the curve of 0.72, with sensitivity of 78% and specificity of 68%. There were no significant differences between non-fallers and fallers for time-limit variable (17 seconds vs. 18 seconds). Force platform parameters during one-legged stance were associated with history of falls in older adults. The cut-offs obtained acceptable area under curve, sensitivity and specificity, with center of pressure area presenting the best performance to differentiate between fallers and non-fallers.