Intersession reliability of posturographic measurements and impact of some somatometric characteristisc on balance control in aging

Jančová, Jitka; Nováková, Hana and Zahálka, František (2008). Intersession reliability of posturographic measurements and impact of some somatometric characteristisc on balance control in aging. The International Journal of Medicine, 1(2) pp. 86–90.

URL: http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/3663031...

Abstract

Aim: Muscle quality is very important for the static and dynamic standing balance as well as for walking process. Muscle quality decreases with aging. The main aim of this study was to assess the relationship between somatometric characteristics (such as muscle quality of lower limbs) and balance control and the maintainance of postural stability. Secondly, we focused on the intersession reliability of repeated posturographic measurements.

Methods: Twenty-nine adults (age range 60-76, mean age 66,32 years) volunteered for this study. All subjects were tested twice in six types of quiet stance in order to assess the intersession reliability. A set of somatometric characteristics were recorded for the total of study participants, including Body Composition.Only 20 volunteers were tested for relationship TBSA and lower limb strength. Bioelectrical impedance served as an indicator for the description of lower limb strength, combined with posturographic measurements on Kistler´s platform. Pearson´s correlation coefficient was used to assess the intersession reliability.

Results: The study subjects demonstrated increased amounts of postural sway in both Medial-Lateral (M/L) and Anterior-Posterior (A/P) directions. Greater values of body sway indicator, in this case Center of Pressure (COP) displacements, combined with somatometric characteristics, show tendencies to fall (in A/P and M/L direction) as well as possible impact of age-related changes in somatometric characteristics on increasing postural sway.

Conclusions: Age-related changes in somatometric characteristics are related to age-worsened postural sway while maintaining balance in quiet stance. Intersession reliability confirms, by the spread of correlation coefficient values, the individuality of each person, in each test of quiet stance and is a useful indicator for assessing the Static Balance in aging.

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