Abstract
Background: In line with health promotion plans, early intervention and fall prevention in geriatric population, it is important to study healthy individuals balance mechanisms. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of adding and removing visual input and dual task on elderly balance. Methods: Twenty healthy elderly recruited from four different senior citizen health club centers and from the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences (USWR) participated in this analytic cross-sectional study. At USWR’s Motor Control Laboratory, the participants’ postural sway were assessed using force plate in 4 distinct double leg standing conditions with and without presence of visual input and Stroop dual task. Postural and Stroop variables were compared. Results: Findings indicated that when the elderly encountered with either dual task or absence of visual input, they can still manage the situation in a way that changes in sway parameter would not become significant. But, when these two conditions occurred simultaneously, the participant’s balance strategy fluctuated. Therefore, the mean velocity showed a significant difference between the “single quiet standing” condition and the condition of standing with eyes closed while the participants were answering Stroop dual task (Mean difference = -0.007, 95% CI = -0.012, -0.002). Conclusion: It appears that velocity parameter is sensitive to small changes, so it is recommended that researchers include this parameter in their future analyses. Balance in elderly can be manipulated by dual task and visual input deprivation.
Highlights
Everyday life postural tasks are not separated from other tasks such as cognitive ones
According to our findings we offer some recommendations; Firstly, Velocity parameter is very sensitive to small changes in COP so it is better for researchers working with force plate to include this parameter in their future analyses
Entropy is recommended to be accompanied by linear force plate variables to represent the complexity and hidden nature of balance conditions
Summary
Everyday life postural tasks are not separated from other tasks such as cognitive ones. Simultaneous division of additional capacities may have dual task cost.[1] As a general view, senior citizen population have some kind of age-related decline in postural task performance while they perform other task.[1] It has been illustrated that balance performance during dual task can be a reliable source of information to differentiate between elderly with or without history of fall.[2] if dual task is a good method for prompt detection risk of fall, the best choice to fulfill such assessment is force plate This device shows subtle and small changes in millimeter and centimeter which is best suited for fall prevention studies. Balance in elderly can be manipulated by dual task and visual input deprivation
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