Assessment of postural stability using the Zebris Platform in women above the age of 60

Abstract

Introduction. Balance control and body posture stability disorders progressing with age are caused by the involutionary changes in the function of the motor and nervous systems. However, it is indicated that regular physical activity, also in older adulthood, may have a positive effect on maintaining the functions of individual systems at an optimal level. Study aim: The aim of the study was to assess the postural stability of women above the age of 60 who declare active lifestyles. Material and Methods. The research involved 24 women, who were arbitrarily divided into 3 groups according to their calendar age. The younger group consisted of 14 women below the age of 70 years ( x _ = 65.08; SD = 2.82), whereas the older group comprised 10 older adults, above the age of 70 ( x _ = 73.62; SD = 2.74). The scope of the study included evaluation of selected postural stability parameters: 95% of the ellipse area covered by the moving COP, statokinesiogram path length, mean speed regarding displacement of the centre of foot pressure, total left and total right foot pressure. The examinations were performed in June 2018 using the Zerbis FDM-S dynamographic platform. The research material collected in this way was subjected to statistical analysis. Basic descriptive statistics were calculated and normality of the distribution of variables was verified using the Shapiro- Wilk test. The Student’s t-test for independent variables or Mann-Whitney’s U-test (depending on the distribution) were used to determine the significance of differences concerning the analysed parameters of postural stability between the groups studied. Furthermore, for 95% of the ellipse area covered by the moving COP, statokinesiogram path and mean speed of the displacement of the centre of foot pressure and standardised profiles were calculated for both chronological age groups. Standardisation of the results was performed using means and standard deviations of the entire material (T scale). Results. The results of the study indicate a higher level of postural stability among women from the younger group. However, comparative analysis did not reveal any statistically significant intergroup differences. Mean point scores on the T scale in the group of younger women for the 3 variables ranged from 50.98 to 51.60 points, whereas for older women, this was from 48.90 to 48.98 points. The differences between characteristics in the group of younger women totalled ca. 0.62 points, while in the older group, this value was 0.08 points. Conclusions. comparative analysis allowed to show that postural stability indices in women above 70 decreased compared to the results obtained for the younger group. Regular physical activity may be one of the significant factors in the prevention of postural stability regression.