A STUDY ON ANALYSIS OF BALANCING ABILITY AND EFFECTS OF UPHILL WALKING ON BALANCING ABILITY AGAINST ABRUPT ACCELERATION IN THE ELDERLY

本研究旨在探讨身体关节运动在姿势摆动中对姿势控制的作用，姿势摆动中的足底压力中心(CFP)与身体素质的关系，以及上坡行走对老年人抗突然加速平衡能力的影响。结果如下：1)老年人髋关节角度的变化明显大于青年组。在体位摆动过程中，老年人CFP与髋关节角度的相关函数相对保持较高。这些结果提示髋关节运动在老年人对抗突然加速的姿势控制中起着重要的作用。2)CFP对抗突然加速的反应时间和CFP位移与屈膝肌、屈膝肌、屈膝肌力量、踝关节和髋关节的屈曲能力、尽可能快的步行速度显著相关。3)上坡步行组在姿势摆动时的反应时间和CFP位移显著短于对照组。上坡组的腿部力量、柔韧性、敏捷性、反应时和静态平衡均显著高于对照组。所有受试者的CFP总反应时间与灵活性、静态平衡以及CFP位移与腿力和柔韧性显著相关。这些结果表明，上坡步行对老年人对抗突然加速的平衡能力是有效的。

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of body joint motions on postural control during postural sway, the relationship center of foot pressure (CFP) during postural sway and physical fitness, and the effects of an uphill walking on the balancing ability against abrupt acceleration in the elderly.Results were as follows :1) Larger change of angle of hip joint was noted in the elderly compared to the young group. Cross-correlation function between CFP and angle of hip joint in the elderly was relatively kept higher than in the young during postural sway. These results suggest that hip joint motion play the important role of postural control against abrupt acceleration in the elderly.2) Response time and CFP displacement in CFP against abrupt acceleration correlated significantly with strength of planterflexor and dorsiflexor muscles, and knee extensor and flexor muscles, flexibilities of ankle and hip joints, speed of walking as fast as possible.3) The uphill walking group showed significant shorter response times and CFP displacement during postural sway than the control group against abrupt acceleration. There were significant values in leg power, flexibility, agility, reaction time, and static balance in the uphill walking group than in the control group. Total response time in CFP in all subjects correlated significantly with agility, static balance, as well as CFP displacement correlating with leg power and flexibility. These results suggested that the uphill walking would be effective on the balancing ability against abrupt acceleration in the elderly.