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. 2022 May 10:77:100041.
doi: 10.1016/j.clinsp.2022.100041. eCollection 2022.

Changes in postural balance associated with a woman's aging process

Guilherme Carlos Brech  1 , Tatiana Godoy Bobbio  2 , Kelem de Negreiros Cabral  3 , Patrícia Mota Coutinho  4 , Leila Regina de Castro  4 , Luis Mochizuki  3 , Jose Maria Soares-Junior  5 , Edmund Chada Baracat  5 , Luiz Eugênio Garcez Leme  3 , Julia Maria D'Andréa Greve  3 , Angélica Castilho Alonso  6
Affiliations

Changes in postural balance associated with a woman's aging process

Guilherme Carlos Brech et al. Clinics (Sao Paulo). .

Abstract

Context: Aging causes a progressive worsening in postural balance, affecting functional independence and increasing the risk of falls.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of aging on the static balance in women from 50-years to 89-years of age.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study, with 400 irregularly active women were evaluated and grouped by age: Group 6th decade (age 50 to 59) ‒ 58 participants; Group 7th decade (age 60 to 69) ‒ 214 participants; Group 8th decade (age 70 to 79) ‒ 92 participants; Group 9th decade (age 80 to 89) ‒ 36 participants. Postural balance was evaluated using a portable force platform in a standard standing position, with Eyes Open (EO) and Eyes Closed (EC).

Results: In the two measurement conditions, the elderly women in Group 9th decade presented mediolateral displacement and range, and mean velocity greater than the women's values in Groups 6th and 7th decade. In the EO e EC situation, the displacement was higher in the elderly Group 9th decade compared to younger groups. Group 8th has a mean velocity greater than Group 6th decade in the EO situation.

Conclusions: Posturography showed a decline in postural balance with advancing age, suggesting that the 9th decade of life is a borderline age to this detriment due to an increase in postural instability.

Keywords: Accidental falls; Aging; Postural balance; Stabilometric parameters.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
Comparison of postural balance with eyes open between age groups. (A) Latero-lateral COP displacement; (B) Antero-posterior COP displacement; (C) Mean velocity calculated from the total displacement of the COP in all directions; (D) Range: sum of the maximum and minimum displacement of the COP in latero-lateral direction; (E) Range: sum of the maximum and minimum displacement of the COP in anteroposterior direction; (F) Area of 95% from an ellipse of the total COP displacement. * p-value ≤0.05 ANOVA with Bonferroni Correction (Pos hoc).
Fig 2
Fig. 2
Postural balance comparison between age group with eyes closed. (A) Latero-lateral COP displacement; (B) Anteroposterior COP displacement; (C) Mean velocity calculated from the total displacement of the COP in all directions; (D) Range: sum of the maximum and minimum displacement of the COP in latero-lateral direction; (E) Range: sum of the maximum and minimum displacement of the COP in anteroposterior direction; (F) Area of 95% from an ellipse of the total COP displacement. * p-value ≤0.05 ANOVA with Bonferroni Correction (Pos-hoc).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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