Abstract
Background Different measures have been used to quantify body balance; some of which use technology to measure postural sway, others are physical performance or self-reported. However, there is little information on the best postural sway measures associated with aging, physical performance, and cognitive function measures. Objective To evaluate the relationship between postural sway measures and aging, physical performance, and cognitive function measures. Methods A total of 51 subjects (53% female, mean age 53.2 ± 21 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. The participants completed the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale questionnaire, the Functional Gait Assessment (FGA), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test, and gait speed. Afterward, the participants performed 8 balance exercises, and their postural sway was measured using a force plate. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationship between the study variables. Results Age was negatively associated with cognitive function, gait speed, ABC scores, and FGA scores. In addition, cognitive ability was associated positively with ABC scores (r = 0.38, p ≤ 0.01). Age, FGA scores, and gait speed were significantly associated with the postural sway of the AP direction in some exercises and in all exercises in the ML directions (p < 0.05). The cognitive function and ABC scores were significantly associated with only postural sway measures in the ML direction (p < 0.05). Conclusion The postural sway measures in the lateral direction had more and stronger associations with age, physical performance, and cognitive function measures compared to those in the AP direction.
Highlights
Control of body balance depends on several factors including the integrity of the sensory organs that provide sensory inputs to the brain about balance, including vision, vestibular apparatus, and somatosensory, as well as the proper integration between these nervous systems
This study is aimed at examining the relationship between postural sway measures recorded by a force plate and aging, physical performance, and cognitive function, determining which postural sway measure is more related to aging, physical, and cognitive measures in healthy adults
The Activities-specific Balance Confidence scores and gait speed were positively associated with Functional Gait Assessment scores (r = 0:531 and 0.529, p ≤ 0:01)
Summary
Control of body balance depends on several factors including the integrity of the sensory organs that provide sensory inputs to the brain about balance, including vision, vestibular apparatus, and somatosensory, as well as the proper integration between these nervous systems. Different measures have been used to quantify body balance; some of which use technology to measure postural sway, others are physical performance or self-reported. There is little information on the best postural sway measures associated with aging, physical performance, and cognitive function measures. To evaluate the relationship between postural sway measures and aging, physical performance, and cognitive function measures. The participants performed 8 balance exercises, and their postural sway was measured using a force plate. The cognitive function and ABC scores were significantly associated with only postural sway measures in the ML direction (p < 0:05). The postural sway measures in the lateral direction had more and stronger associations with age, physical performance, and cognitive function measures compared to those in the AP direction
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
