Muscle Strength and Age Effects in Balance Recovery

平衡恢复中的肌肉力量和年龄影响

• 批准号: 6941266
• 负责人: MICHAEL L MADIGAN
• 金额: $ 6.98万
• 依托单位: VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-08-01 至 2006-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6941266
• 关键词: accidental falls; adolescence (12-20); age difference; balance; biomechanics; clinical research; gait; human middle age (35-64); injury prevention; muscle strength; occupational hazard; young adult human (21-34)

DESCRIPTION: Fall-related injuries are a major problem within industry and the general society when measured in terms of economic losses and human suffering. Older adults in particular are more susceptible to fall-related injuries due to higher fall rates and a greater likelihood of injury from a fall. The well documented reduction in muscle strength that occurs with aging is thought to be one factor contributing to the higher fall rates in older adults. Despite substantial evidence implicating age-related strength reductions in the higher falls rates among older adults, the specific biomechanical mechanism by which strength reductions contribute to falls remains unclear. Based on results from a previous study, a substantial number of falls occur after tripping even though individuals are able to complete a step in an attempt to recover their balance. It is thus hypothesized that events subsequent to step completion are critical to balance recovery. The current study will use an existing experimental model of balance recovery to investigate insufficient joint torques in the stepping leg, after taking a step to recover balance, as a mechanism contributing to tripping and falling accidents. If these torques are insufficient, they would not adequately decelerate trunk angular momentum and/or would not prevent the stepping leg from collapsing. As a result, the individual would fall. The two projects outlined in the proposed research will 1) establish baseline measurements of stepping leg joint torques during balance recovery in a young adult population, and 2) compare measurements of stepping leg joint torques in healthy older adults during balance recovery to those of young adults. Completion of these projects will provide specific information towards identifying biomechanical mechanisms that contribute to falls in older adults. This information can be used to develop specific intervention strategies, such as weight training regiments, aimed at fall prevention.

描述：与经济损失和人类苦难一起衡量时，与跌倒有关的伤害是工业和一般社会中的主要问题。尤其是老年人由于跌倒率较高和跌倒造成的可能性较大而更容易受到与跌倒有关的伤害。衰老随着衰老而发生的肌肉力量的降低被认为是导致老年人跌倒率较高的一个因素。尽管大量证据暗示了老年人跌倒率较高的年龄相关强度降低，但特定的生物力学机制降低了强度降低的跌倒尚不清楚。 基于先前研究的结果，即使个人能够完成恢复余额的步骤，也会发生大量跌倒。因此，假设步骤完成之后的事件对于平衡恢复至关重要。当前的研究将使用现有的平衡恢复的实验模型来研究步进腿的关节扭矩不足之后，在采取了一步以恢复平衡，作为导致绊倒和下降事故的机制。如果这些扭矩不足，它们将无法充分减速躯干角动量和/或不会阻止垫脚腿塌陷。结果，个人将跌倒。拟议的研究中概述的两个项目将1）在年轻人人口的平衡恢复过程中建立基线测量的基线测量，以及2）比较健康老年人在平衡恢复期间在健康老年人中踩踏腿关节扭矩与年轻人的测量值。这些项目的完成将提供特定的信息，以识别有助于老年人跌倒的生物力学机制。这些信息可用于制定针对预防秋季的特定干预策略，例如重量训练团。