| Popis: |
Background: An incorrect transfer of center of mass (CoM) to outside the base of support is a frequent cause of falls, and segmental coordination to control CoM is crucial during walking. Uncontrolled manifold (UCM) analysis is a method of examining the relation between variances in segmental coordination and the CoM stability. However, no study has investigated through a prospective cohort study how variance in segmental configurations to stabilize CoM relates to future falls. This study explored whether variances to stabilize the CoM were related to future falls.Methods: At the baseline visit, 30 community-dwelling older adults walked 20 times on a 6-m walkway. Using kinematic data during walking, UCM analysis was performed to investigate how segmental configuration contributes to the CoM stability in the frontal plane. One year after the baseline visit, we evaluated whether the subjects experienced falls; 12 had experienced falls and 16 had not. Comparisons of variances between older adults with and without falls were conducted by covariate analysis.Results: No significant differences in variances were found in the mediolateral direction, whereas in the vertical direction, older adults with fall experiences had a greater variance, reflecting unstable CoM, than those with no fall experiences.Conclusions: We verified that the high variance in segmental configurations that destabilize CoM in the vertical direction was related to future falls. The variables of UCM analysis can be useful to evaluate fall risks. |
