Evaluation of sitting balance ability for the prevention of falls in elderly people

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This research presents a system for evaluating sitting balance in elderly people to prevent their falls. The proposed system comprises a position sensor for measuring the upper body joint position, a stabilometer for measuring the center of pressure (COP) trajectory and the seat reaction force, and a one-degree-of-freedom platform for producing seat perturbation. The seat reaction force and joint position of the upper body were used to calculate the joint torque of the 3rd lumbar vertebra. During the experiments, 73 young and 58 older healthy adults tried to maintain a sitting posture relative to the seat perturbation. The root mean square of the COP trajectory and the joint torque of the 3rd lumbar vertebra in elderly people were significantly higher than those in young subjects. Results suggest that the sitting balance ability of elderly people is inferior and that a large physical load is necessary for them to maintain a sitting posture.