Aging and postural control Flashcards
What is clinical and research definition of falls?
Clinical: unplanned, unexpected contact with supporting surface, could be something other than the floor
Research: varies, some include trip as a fall
What are some burdens of falls?
7th leading cause of death in people over 75
Women fall more
Men more likely to die from fall
Those over 65, more than 1/3 fall per year
Falls are most common cause of fracture and brain injury in older adults
What are risk factors for falls?
Extrinsic environmental factors
Intrinsic factors
11 risk factors identified for community dwellers: muscle weakness, history of falls, gait deficits, balance deficits, use of AD, visual deficits, arthritis, impaired ADL, depression, cognitive impairment, age more than 80
What happens to muscle strength with age?
Strength declines with age for many adults.
Endurance decreases with age.
Muscle power is more highly correlated with physical function than muscle strength
Skeletal muscles lose both Type 1 and 2 fibers, number of motor units declines, number of myelinated fibers is reduced
What happens to ROM as we age?
Spinal flexibility shows greatest decline with age compared with all other joints
Ankle joint flexibility, critical for postural control, also declines
What are changes in quiet stance?
Spontaneous sway: increases with each decade of life, may be done to increase info from sensory systems, some pathologies (PD) have decreased sway
Sway amplitude and velocity: older have higher capacity, velocity may be more important than overall amplitude
Spatial/temporal boundaries of postural instability: older adults use more of their functional capacity
What are changes in motor strategies during perturbed stance?
Muscle activity: changes may include slower onset, change in organization, greater use of hip strategy
Motor system changes: muscle weakness, impaired timing and organization of synergistic muscles, limitations in adaptability
What about sensory systems and old age?
Changes in sensory systems contribute to declining stability as people age.
Declines in somatosensory, vision, vestibular
What is greatest risk for postural control?
Greatest risk is when there is a reduction in availability or accuracy of more than one sensory system
What are effects of aging on anticipatory postural abilities?
See less ability to activate postural muscles prior to primary mover muscles.
Inability to stabilize body in association with voluntary tasks such as lifting or carrying may be a major contributor to falls.
