Biomechanics of fall-related impacts and balance in seniors

与跌倒有关的伤害是影响老年人的一个重要公共卫生问题。它们是导致老年人住院的主要原因，每年给加拿大经济造成的直接损失约为28亿美元。特别值得关注的是髋部骨折和创伤性脑损伤（TBI），这两种情况在老年人中高达90%的病例中都是由跌倒引起的。指导这一建议的基本原则是，跌倒相关损伤的风险与施加在身体组织上的负荷与组织强度的比率（称为风险因素）直接相关。因此，为了开发和实施基于证据的干预措施，我们需要更深入地了解在跌倒相关冲击过程中影响身体负荷的变量，包括个人因素（年龄、性别、人体测量学）、平衡控制因素（平衡恢复和保护反应策略）和外部工程设备。

Fall-related injuries are an important public health issue affecting seniors. They are the leading cause of hospitalizations in seniors and cost the Canadian economy approximately $2.8 billion in direct annual costs. Of particular concern are hip fractures and traumatic brain injuries (TBI), both of which are precipitated by falls in up to 90% of cases in older adults. The underlying principle that guides this proposal is that the risk of a fall-related injury is directly related to the ratio of loads applied to body tissues vs. the strength of the tissues (termed factor of risk). Consequently, to develop and implement evidence-based interventions we require greater insights into the variables that influence the loads applied to the body during fall-related impacts including individual factors (age, gender, anthropometrics), balance control factors (strategies of balance recovery and protective responses), and external engineering devices.