COMPONENT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE POSTURAL CONTROL IN WOMEN 55-64 YEARS OLD WITH THE RISK DEVELOPMENT OF THE GERIATRIC SYNDROME OF FALLS

Abstract

The aim was to define the quality peculiarities of the equilibrium function, the strategy of the body position maintenance and the sensory organization of postural control in women 55-64 years with the risk of geriatric syndrome of falls (GF) development. Methods. 88 women aged 55-64 years (mean age 60.2 ± 3.2 years) were examined. The first group, the study group (SG), included 44 women who reported that experienced two or more falls in the last 8 months, which should be considered as having a risk of GF developing. The second group, the comparison group, randomly included 44 women of the same age who had not experienced a single fall in the last 12 months (postural stability). To assess the components of postural control, the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) of the computer dynamic posturographic complex «Smart Equitest Balance Manager» was conducted. Results. When analyzing SOT parameters, it was found that women in the SG had a quality decrease of the equilibrium function and the strategy of maintaining the body position in all functional tests, as well as their final grade of the entire test, the participation degree of somatosensorial, visual and vestibular information in the balance monitoring. The most important changes in the SOT parameters that affect the majority of the surveyed women in the SG are reflected in a significant decrease in the quality of the equilibrium function in functional tests 3, 5, 6, and in the final grade of the quality of the equilibrium function in SOT, as well as in the degree of involvement of vestibular information in the balance monitoring, what allows to consider these changes as primary predictors of the development of GF in women aged 55-64 years. Conclusion. The significant decrease of the SOT indicators in women aged 55-64 years with the risk of development of GF was detected. It allows to calculate the regulatory parameters of SOT in order to improve the quality of diagnosis of postural changes and the risk of falls.