Nejc Šarabon1, Žiga Kozinc2, Goran Marković3. 1. University of Primorska, Faculty of Health Sciences, Polje 42, SI-6310 Izola, Slovenia; University of Primorska, Andrej Marušič Institute, Muzejski trg 2, SI-6000 Koper, Slovenia; InnoRenew CoE, Human Health Department, Livade 6, SI-6310 Izola, Slovenia; S2P, Science to Practice, Ltd., Laboratory for Motor Control and Motor Behavior, Tehnološki park 19, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Electronic address: nejc.sarabon@fvz.upr.si. 2. University of Primorska, Faculty of Health Sciences, Polje 42, SI-6310 Izola, Slovenia; University of Primorska, Andrej Marušič Institute, Muzejski trg 2, SI-6000 Koper, Slovenia. 3. Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, 10110 Zagreb, Croatia; Motus Melior Ltd., Hektorovićeva 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Postural sway during quiet standing has been shown as a useful task to assess risk of falling in older adults. While the risk of falling is consistently reported to be higher in older females than males, the sex-related differences in postural sway are not consistent across the studies. RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the effects of age and sex on postural sway during quiet standing during different stance conditions? METHODS: We examined the effects of age (40 young and 34 older adults), sex (37 males and 37 females), and their interaction on the postural sway during different stance conditions. We compared the center of pressure (CoP) velocity, amplitude and frequency during parallel (eyes open and eyes closed) and semi-tandem (eyes open) stances. RESULTS: Our results suggest that postural sway is similar between sexes in young participants, while older males exhibit larger postural sway than older female participants (10/21 outcomes). Older female participants exhibited lower CoP amplitude (but larger total and anterior-posterior CoP velocity) compared to young female participants. We also found that the increase in the postural sway with increasing task difficulty is more pronounced in older vs. young adults. SIGNIFICANCE: This study shows that ageing-related changes in postural sway are sex- and task-specific. Researchers and clinicians need to be aware of these effects when comparing groups or monitoring changes in time.
BACKGROUND: Postural sway during quiet standing has been shown as a useful task to assess risk of falling in older adults. While the risk of falling is consistently reported to be higher in older females than males, the sex-related differences in postural sway are not consistent across the studies. RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the effects of age and sex on postural sway during quiet standing during different stance conditions? METHODS: We examined the effects of age (40 young and 34 older adults), sex (37 males and 37 females), and their interaction on the postural sway during different stance conditions. We compared the center of pressure (CoP) velocity, amplitude and frequency during parallel (eyes open and eyes closed) and semi-tandem (eyes open) stances. RESULTS: Our results suggest that postural sway is similar between sexes in young participants, while older males exhibit larger postural sway than older female participants (10/21 outcomes). Older female participants exhibited lower CoP amplitude (but larger total and anterior-posterior CoP velocity) compared to young female participants. We also found that the increase in the postural sway with increasing task difficulty is more pronounced in older vs. young adults. SIGNIFICANCE: This study shows that ageing-related changes in postural sway are sex- and task-specific. Researchers and clinicians need to be aware of these effects when comparing groups or monitoring changes in time.
Authors: George Danut Mocanu; Gabriel Murariu; Ilie Onu; Georgian Badicu Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-06-23 Impact factor: 4.614