Cargando…

Gait Flexibility among Older Persons Significantly More Impaired in Fallers Than Non-Fallers—A Longitudinal Study

Gait disorders are a relevant factor for falls and possible to measure with wearable devices. If a wearable sensor can detect differences in gait parameters between fallers and non-fallers has not yet been studied. The aim of this study was to measure and compare gait parameters, vestibular function...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Ekvall Hansson, Eva, Valkonen, Elina, Olsson Möller, Ulrika, Chen Lin, Yi, Magnusson, Måns, Fransson, Per-Anders
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8297078/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34281011
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18137074
_version_ 1783725775106605056
author Ekvall Hansson, Eva
Valkonen, Elina
Olsson Möller, Ulrika
Chen Lin, Yi
Magnusson, Måns
Fransson, Per-Anders
author_facet Ekvall Hansson, Eva
Valkonen, Elina
Olsson Möller, Ulrika
Chen Lin, Yi
Magnusson, Måns
Fransson, Per-Anders
author_sort Ekvall Hansson, Eva
collection PubMed
description Gait disorders are a relevant factor for falls and possible to measure with wearable devices. If a wearable sensor can detect differences in gait parameters between fallers and non-fallers has not yet been studied. The aim of this study was to measure and compare gait parameters, vestibular function, and balance performance between fallers and non-fallers among a group of older persons. Participants were senior members (n = 101) of a Swedish non-profit gymnastic association. Gait parameters were obtained using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that the participants wore on the leg while walking an obstacle course and on an even surface. Vestibular function was assessed by the Head-shake test, the Head impulse test, and the Dix–Hallpike maneuver. Balance was assessed by the Timed Up and Go, the Timed Up and Go manual, and the Timed Up and Go cognitive tests. Falls during the 12-month follow-up period were monitored using fall diaries. Forty-two persons (41%) had fallen during the 12-month follow-up. Fallers had more limited ability to vary their gait (gait flexibility) than non-fallers (p < 0.001). No other differences between fallers and non-fallers were found. The use of gait flexibility, captured by an IMU, seems better for identifying future fallers among healthy older persons than Timed Up and Go or Timed Up and Go combined with a cognitive or manual task.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-8297078
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2021
publisher MDPI
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-82970782021-07-23 Gait Flexibility among Older Persons Significantly More Impaired in Fallers Than Non-Fallers—A Longitudinal Study Ekvall Hansson, Eva Valkonen, Elina Olsson Möller, Ulrika Chen Lin, Yi Magnusson, Måns Fransson, Per-Anders Int J Environ Res Public Health Article Gait disorders are a relevant factor for falls and possible to measure with wearable devices. If a wearable sensor can detect differences in gait parameters between fallers and non-fallers has not yet been studied. The aim of this study was to measure and compare gait parameters, vestibular function, and balance performance between fallers and non-fallers among a group of older persons. Participants were senior members (n = 101) of a Swedish non-profit gymnastic association. Gait parameters were obtained using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that the participants wore on the leg while walking an obstacle course and on an even surface. Vestibular function was assessed by the Head-shake test, the Head impulse test, and the Dix–Hallpike maneuver. Balance was assessed by the Timed Up and Go, the Timed Up and Go manual, and the Timed Up and Go cognitive tests. Falls during the 12-month follow-up period were monitored using fall diaries. Forty-two persons (41%) had fallen during the 12-month follow-up. Fallers had more limited ability to vary their gait (gait flexibility) than non-fallers (p < 0.001). No other differences between fallers and non-fallers were found. The use of gait flexibility, captured by an IMU, seems better for identifying future fallers among healthy older persons than Timed Up and Go or Timed Up and Go combined with a cognitive or manual task. MDPI 2021-07-02 /pmc/articles/PMC8297078/ /pubmed/34281011 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18137074 Text en © 2021 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Ekvall Hansson, Eva
Valkonen, Elina
Olsson Möller, Ulrika
Chen Lin, Yi
Magnusson, Måns
Fransson, Per-Anders
Gait Flexibility among Older Persons Significantly More Impaired in Fallers Than Non-Fallers—A Longitudinal Study
title Gait Flexibility among Older Persons Significantly More Impaired in Fallers Than Non-Fallers—A Longitudinal Study
title_full Gait Flexibility among Older Persons Significantly More Impaired in Fallers Than Non-Fallers—A Longitudinal Study
title_fullStr Gait Flexibility among Older Persons Significantly More Impaired in Fallers Than Non-Fallers—A Longitudinal Study
title_full_unstemmed Gait Flexibility among Older Persons Significantly More Impaired in Fallers Than Non-Fallers—A Longitudinal Study
title_short Gait Flexibility among Older Persons Significantly More Impaired in Fallers Than Non-Fallers—A Longitudinal Study
title_sort gait flexibility among older persons significantly more impaired in fallers than non-fallers—a longitudinal study
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8297078/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34281011
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18137074
work_keys_str_mv AT ekvallhanssoneva gaitflexibilityamongolderpersonssignificantlymoreimpairedinfallersthannonfallersalongitudinalstudy
AT valkonenelina gaitflexibilityamongolderpersonssignificantlymoreimpairedinfallersthannonfallersalongitudinalstudy
AT olssonmollerulrika gaitflexibilityamongolderpersonssignificantlymoreimpairedinfallersthannonfallersalongitudinalstudy
AT chenlinyi gaitflexibilityamongolderpersonssignificantlymoreimpairedinfallersthannonfallersalongitudinalstudy
AT magnussonmans gaitflexibilityamongolderpersonssignificantlymoreimpairedinfallersthannonfallersalongitudinalstudy
AT franssonperanders gaitflexibilityamongolderpersonssignificantlymoreimpairedinfallersthannonfallersalongitudinalstudy