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

这项研究提出了一个评估老年人坐姿平衡的系统，以防止他们跌倒。该系统包括用于测量上半身关节位置的位置传感器、用于测量压力中心（COP）轨迹和座椅反作用力的稳定计以及用于产生座椅摄动的单自由度平台。利用坐位反作用力和上体关节位置计算第3腰椎关节扭矩。在实验中，73名年轻人和58名年长的健康成年人试图保持相对于座位扰动的坐姿。老年人的COP轨迹均方根和第三腰椎关节扭矩均显著高于年轻人。结果表明，老年人的坐位平衡能力较差，保持坐姿需要较大的体力负荷。

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.