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Citation
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Soleimanifar M, Mazaheri M, van Schooten KS, Asgari M, Mosallanezhad Z, Salavati M, Sedaghat-Nejad E, Parnianpour M. Maturitas 2020; 139: 49-56. |
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Abstract
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OBJECTIVES: The present experiment examined the role of age and fall history in upper body accelerations when walking on an even and on an uneven surface.
STUDY DESIGN: An observational cross-sectional study.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The magnitude (root mean square [RMS]), symmetry (harmonic ratio) and attenuation (attenuation coefficient) of upper body accelerations were quantified as primary outcomes; gait spatiotemporal parameters were measured as secondary outcomes.
METHODS: Twenty young adults (mean ± SD age: 29.00 ± 4.51 yrs), 20 older non-fallers (66.60 ± 5.43 yrs) and 20 older fallers (68.55 ± 4.86 yrs) walked on an even and on an uneven surface, while wearing four accelerometers attached to the forehead, pelvis, right and left shanks.
RESULTS: Older fallers exhibited increased RMS acceleration in the mediolateral direction at the pelvis level compared with young adults when walking on the even surface (0.18 ± 0.04 vs. 0.14 ± 0.02, respectively), whereas walking on an uneven surface was associated with reduced magnitude of acceleration in older fallers (0.19 ± 0.04) compared with non-fallers (0.23 ± 0.04) and young adults (0.22 ± 0.03). Among other changes, walking on the uneven surface diminished pelvis-to-head attenuation in the mediolateral direction in older fallers (38.07 ± 14.51) compared with non-fallers (50.96 ± 11.03) and young adults (62.62 ± 8.21; all ps<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Reduced mediolateral accelerations in older fallers when walking on the uneven surface can be interpreted as a compensatory mechanism to preserve stability through increased body stiffness. Reduced postural flexibility in the frontal plane compromises the central role of the trunk in minimizing the impact of gait-related oscillations to the head, as evidenced by reduced mediolateral attenuation in older fallers.
Language: en |