Muscle Strength and Age Effects in Balance Recovery

产品说明：从经济损失和人类痛苦的角度衡量，与跌倒有关的伤害是工业和一般社会中的一个主要问题。尤其是老年人更容易受到与跌倒有关的伤害，因为跌倒率更高，跌倒受伤的可能性更大。随着年龄的增长而发生的肌肉力量的减少被认为是导致老年人跌倒率较高的一个因素。尽管有大量证据表明老年人中较高的福尔斯跌倒率与年龄相关的力量降低有关，但力量降低导致福尔斯跌倒的具体生物力学机制仍不清楚。 根据以前的研究结果，即使个人能够完成一个步骤，试图恢复平衡，也会在绊倒后发生大量的福尔斯。因此，假设步骤完成后的事件对平衡恢复至关重要。目前的研究将使用现有的平衡恢复实验模型来研究在迈出一步以恢复平衡后，跨步腿中的关节扭矩不足，作为导致绊倒和跌倒事故的机制。如果这些扭矩不足，它们将不能充分地使躯干角动量减速和/或不能防止踏步腿塌陷。因此，个人会跌倒。在拟议的研究中概述的两个项目将1）在年轻成年人群体中建立平衡恢复期间的步进腿关节扭矩的基线测量值，以及2）将健康老年人在平衡恢复期间的步进腿关节扭矩的测量值与年轻人的测量值进行比较。这些项目的完成将为确定导致老年人福尔斯跌倒的生物力学机制提供具体信息。这些信息可以用来制定具体的干预策略，如重量训练团，旨在防止跌倒。

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.