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Sensorimotor Impairment in the Elderly pp 175–191Cite as

Postural Control in Normal Subjects and Older Women Who Have Fallen

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Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASID,volume 75))

Abstract

Anterior-posterior sway displacement was measured while subjects stood with eyes open, with eyes closed, and with feedback of sway displacement provided by an oscilloscope. The surface on which subjects stood was either fixed, or rotated to minimise ankle rotation cues, giving six test conditions in all. 97 male and female control subjects aged from 20 onwards were tested, sway amplitude tended to increase with age, and 19 subjects lost balance when tested with eyes closed and ankle cues reduced. 30 female subjects who had fallen were compared under the same test conditions with 30 matched control subjects. Subjects who had fallen two or more times in the year prior to the test lost balance significantly more often with reduced ankle proprioception and eyes closed, and swayed more under the other conditions with reduced proprioception. Interpretation of this result is not straightforward, and a larger prospective study is required to confirm the possibihty that people who report falls may be divided into two distinct groups.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Academic Unit of Neuroscience, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 8RF, UK

    M. B. Hawken & C. Kennard

  2. Dept of Geriatric Medicine, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland

    P. Jäntti

Authors
  1. M. B. Hawken
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  2. P. Jäntti
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  3. C. Kennard
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Motor Control Section, Exercise and Sport Research Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

    George E. Stelmach

  2. Neurological Therapy Center, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Volker Hömberg

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© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Hawken, M.B., Jäntti, P., Kennard, C. (1993). Postural Control in Normal Subjects and Older Women Who Have Fallen. In: Stelmach, G.E., Hömberg, V. (eds) Sensorimotor Impairment in the Elderly. NATO ASI Series, vol 75. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1976-4_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1976-4_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4872-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1976-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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