The length of time a person can stand (on one leg) is a more telling measure of aging than changes in strength or gait, according to new research from the Mayo Clinic. The study appears today in the journal. PLUS ONE.
Good balance, muscle strength and efficient gait contribute to people’s independence and well-being as they age. How these factors change and at what rate can help doctors develop programs to ensure healthy aging. Individually, people can train their balance without special equipment and work to maintain it over time.
In this study, 40 healthy, independent people over the age of 50 underwent gait, balance, grip strength, and knee strength tests. Half of the participants were under 65 years old; the other half were 65 years old or older.
In the balance tests, participants stood on force plates in different situations: on both feet with eyes open, on both feet with eyes closed, on the non-dominant leg with eyes open, and on the dominant leg with eyes closed. eyes open. In single-leg trials, participants could hold the leg they were not standing on wherever they wanted. The tests were 30 seconds each.
Standing on one leg (specifically the non-dominant leg) showed the highest rate of decline with age.
“Balance is an important measure because, in addition to muscle strength, it requires information from vision, the vestibular system, and somatosensory systems,” says Kenton Kaufman, Ph.D., lead author of the study and director of the Balance Analysis Laboratory. Motion. at the Mayo Clinic. “Changes in balance are noteworthy. If you have poor balance, you are at risk of falling, whether you are moving or not. Falls are a serious health risk with serious consequences.”
Unintentional falls are the leading cause of injuries among adults over 65 years of age. Most falls among older adults are due to a loss of balance.
In the other tests:
- The researchers used a custom-made device to measure the participants’ grip. For the knee strength test, participants were seated and were instructed to extend their knee as strongly as possible. Both grip and knee strength tests were dominant. Grip and knee strength showed significant declines by decade, but not as much as balance. Grip strength decreased at a faster rate than knee strength, making it a better predictor of aging than other strength measures.
- For the walking test, participants walked back and forth on an 8-meter level walkway at their own pace and speed. Gait parameters did not change with age. This was not a surprising result since the participants were walking at their normal pace, not their maximum pace, says Dr. Kaufman.
- There were no age-related decreases in sex-specific strength tests. This indicates that participants’ grip and knee strength decreased at a similar rate. The researchers identified no sex differences in gait and balance tests, suggesting that male and female subjects were equally affected by age.
Dr. Kaufman says people can take steps to train their balance. For example, by standing on one leg, you can train yourself to coordinate your muscular and vestibular responses to maintain correct balance. If you can stand on one leg for 30 seconds, you’re doing it right, he says.
“If you don’t use it, you lose it. If you use it, you keep it,” says Dr. Kaufman. “It’s easy to do. It requires no special equipment and you can do it every day.”
Funding for this study includes the Robert and Arlene Kogod Chair in Geriatric Medicine and the W. Hall Wendel Jr. Chair in Musculoskeletal.