Reconstruction of body motion during self-reported losses of balance in community-dwelling older adults

Losses of balance, LOBs, defined as events where balance is lost momentarily but recovered, are more common than falls and are closely linked to falls and fall injuries. LOBs have long been identified as common, occurring at least once over a three week period in 35% of community older adults [1]. Trips and slips are major risk factors for falls in older adults and can lead to injury including fracture [2 –4]. Multiple stumbles and missteps also increase the risk for falls [5,6]. In laboratory settings, it has been demonstrated that the inability to recover from a LOB is an independent predictor of a future fall [7].

Source: Medical Engineering and Physics - December 20, 2018 Category: Biomedical Engineering Authors: Lauro V. Ojeda, Peter G. Adamczyk, John R. Rebula, Linda V. Nyquist, Debra M. Strasburg, Neil B. Alexander Tags: Technical note Source Type: research