ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana - Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2021 September;180(9):435-40

DOI: 10.23736/S0393-3660.20.04430-7

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Relationships of the performance in a walking test on an unstable walkway with various motor abilities and fall experiences in active elderly people

Hiroki SUGIURA ¹ ✉, Takanori NOGUCHI ¹, Tomohisa YOKOYA ¹, Asana IKARI ², Yuki SAMEJIMA ², Ginpei YAMAMOTO ², Bayanduuren BOLDBAATAR ², Miei SUGITA ²

¹ Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences, Fukui University of Technology, Fukui, Japan; ² Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Social System Engineering, Fukui University of Technology, Fukui, Japan

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the relationship between walking test on an unstable terrain and motor abilities and fall experiences in the activity elderly.
METHODS: It included 169 elderly people (fall: N.=24, non-fall: N.=145). An unstable beam was used to evaluate the walking ability on an unstable walkway, which was prepared using special polyethylene in five widths (length, 500 mm; thickness, 60 mm; width, 150, 130, 110, 90, and 70 mm). Ten bars with 5 different widths (2 bars each) were arranged in a straight line in the descending order of width. The subject walked at a tempo of 30 beats per minute over these bars. The parameters considered included the number of bars that the subjects were able to walk on without falling from the beam. motor abilities such as isometric leg strength, balance, and walking were evaluated.
RESULTS: A significant correlation was observed between the number of bars and knee extension strength, one-leg standing duration, functional reach, and walking time (r: 0.21-0.47). Moreover, the number of bars was lower in the fall group than in the non-fall group (fall: 8.06±2.47, non-fall: 5.71±3.76).
CONCLUSIONS: Moderate relationships were observed between the walking ability on an unstable walkway and one-leg standing and walking times. The elderly in the non-fall group showed better walking ability on unstable walkway compared with those in the fall group.

KEY WORDS: Aptitude; Accidental falls; Exercise test