Differences In Body Stability Between Older And Younger Adults During Continuous Turning

Compared to straight walking, the risk of falling increases during turning. Study on the body stability of older adults during consecutive turning is still in early stages. PURPOSE: This study aims to identify the characteristics of body stability in older adults during consecutive turning and to explore potential risk factors, by comparing with young adults. METHOD: A total of 11 healthy older adults (aged 69 ± 3 years) and 11 young adults (aged 23 ± 1 years) were recruited from the community. Participants were required to walk at a comfortable speed along an 8-shaped continuous curved path (diameter 1.66 m) 3 times. The 8-shaped path was divided into clockwise and counterclockwise turning, and each gait cycle was divided into four phases: the first double-support phase, right single-support phase, second double-support phase, and left single-support phase. The maximum center of mass and center of pressure inclination angle and center of mass sway distance during consecutive turning were calculated to evaluate body stability. A value of p < 0.05 was considered as a significant difference. RESULTS: Compared with the young adults, during clockwise turning, the older adults exhibited significantly smaller center of mass sway distances in the first double-support phase (0.157 ± 0.017 m, 0.177 ± 0.024 m, p = 0.024) and the second double-support phase (0.149 ± 0.030 m, 0.173 ± 0.018 m, p = 0.039); in addition, the older adults displayed significantly larger center of mass and center of pressure inclination angle in the right single-support phase (18.834 ± 1.679°, 16.507 ± 1.667°, p = 0.004) and left single-support phase (21.359 ± 1.299°, 19.753 ± 2.093°, p = 0.043). When it comes to counterclockwise turning, the older adults displayed a significantly smaller center of mass sway distance in the right single-support phase (0.077 ± 0.034 m, 0.107 ± 0.030 m, p = 0.037) compared with the young adults. CONCLUSION: Older adults exhibited smaller center of mass sway distances to maintain body stability during consecutive turning. Additionally, during clockwise consecutive turning, the stability of the older adults was poorer in the single-support phase, suggesting that older adults need to be more cautious to prevent falls in similar condition. National Natural Science Foundation of China