Assessment of postural stability using the Zebris Platform in women above the age of 60

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (92) ◽  
pp. 13-18
Author(s):  
Janusz Jaworski ◽  
Ewelina Kołodziej

Introduction. Balance control and body posture stability disorders progressing with age are caused by the involutionary changes in the function of the motor and nervous systems. However, it is indicated that regular physical activity, also in older adulthood, may have a positive effect on maintaining the functions of individual systems at an optimal level. Study aim: The aim of the study was to assess the postural stability of women above the age of 60 who declare active lifestyles. Material and Methods. The research involved 24 women, who were arbitrarily divided into 3 groups according to their calendar age. The younger group consisted of 14 women below the age of 70 years ( x _ = 65.08; SD = 2.82), whereas the older group comprised 10 older adults, above the age of 70 ( x _ = 73.62; SD = 2.74). The scope of the study included evaluation of selected postural stability parameters: 95% of the ellipse area covered by the moving COP, statokinesiogram path length, mean speed regarding displacement of the centre of foot pressure, total left and total right foot pressure. The examinations were performed in June 2018 using the Zerbis FDM-S dynamographic platform. The research material collected in this way was subjected to statistical analysis. Basic descriptive statistics were calculated and normality of the distribution of variables was verified using the Shapiro- Wilk test. The Student’s t-test for independent variables or Mann-Whitney’s U-test (depending on the distribution) were used to determine the significance of differences concerning the analysed parameters of postural stability between the groups studied. Furthermore, for 95% of the ellipse area covered by the moving COP, statokinesiogram path and mean speed of the displacement of the centre of foot pressure and standardised profiles were calculated for both chronological age groups. Standardisation of the results was performed using means and standard deviations of the entire material (T scale). Results. The results of the study indicate a higher level of postural stability among women from the younger group. However, comparative analysis did not reveal any statistically significant intergroup differences. Mean point scores on the T scale in the group of younger women for the 3 variables ranged from 50.98 to 51.60 points, whereas for older women, this was from 48.90 to 48.98 points. The differences between characteristics in the group of younger women totalled ca. 0.62 points, while in the older group, this value was 0.08 points. Conclusions. comparative analysis allowed to show that postural stability indices in women above 70 decreased compared to the results obtained for the younger group. Regular physical activity may be one of the significant factors in the prevention of postural stability regression.

2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gérome C. Gauchard ◽  
Cécile Parietti-Winkler ◽  
Alexis Lion ◽  
Claude Simon ◽  
Philippe P. Perrin

Author(s):  
Aleksandra Truszczyńska-Baszak ◽  
Justyna Drzał-Grabiec ◽  
Adam Tarnowski

BACKGROUND: One of the most difficult complications of total hip arthroplasty is an infection in the area of the implant with an incidence of 0.5% to 2.5% resulting in the most severe situation in prosthesis removal. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess postural stability and functional disorders in patients after hip prosthesis removal. METHODS: A group of 15 patients after hip prosthesis removal was compared to a control group of 15 healthy persons who were age-matched without any symptoms of degenerative disorders in the lower spine and lower extremities. The static balance test was conducted on a bi-modular stabilometric platform, registering the movement of the centre of foot pressure. The functional state of the patients was assessed on the basis of the Harris Hip Score (HHS). RESULTS: Patients had poor functional result (HSS mean 62.29 ± 12.92 points). Obtained results of postural stability of patients showed huge difficulties maintaining stability and showed statistically significant differences in a majority of the analysed parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Several stability parameters showed significantly worse results in patients after hip prosthesis removal. Special attention should be paid and focused physiotherapy should be undertaken for patients with a stability disorder and functional status to prevent falls and improve functioning.


2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Dewhurst ◽  
Leslie Peacock ◽  
Theodoros M. Bampouras

Physical activity assists older individuals’ functional ability and postural stability. Recently, Scottish country dance (SCD) was reported as being a beneficial form of physical activity for functional ability in older females. This study aims to examine the effect of SCD on postural stability. Scottish country dancers (n = 20) were compared with physically active controls (n = 33) for static postural sway measured on a force platform. The Romberg and Tandem stances were used under ‘eyes open’ and ‘eyes closed’ conditions. Ninety-five percent ellipse area and sway velocity were calculated from the center of pressure displacement. Ninety-five percent ellipse area was the same for both groups in all tests. The control group had greater sway velocity for all tests (P < .01) except Tandem eyes closed. SCD participation resulted in similar postural sway as participation in other physical activities, however nondancers may need a greater amount of regulatory activity to maintain balance.


2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuomo Rankinen ◽  
Claude Bouchard ◽  
Charles B. Corbin ◽  
Robert P. Pangrazi ◽  
Don Franks

1979 ◽  
Vol 41 (04) ◽  
pp. 745-755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dušan Keber ◽  
Mojca Stegnar ◽  
Irena Keber ◽  
Bojan Accetto

SummaryFibrinolysis was studied in 10 alpinists during regular physical activity of different intensity. Blood was sampled at rest and after exposure to submaximal workload on the treadmill on three occasions: before and after 6 months physical conditioning (moderate physical activity), and after 6 weeks of an alpinistic expedition (strenuous physical activity). Measurements included submaximal working capacity, fibrinogen, euglobulin clot lysis time (ELT), whole plasma clot lysis time, and estimations derived from ELT - percent increase in fibrinolytic activity after exercise (RFS), and absolute increase in fibrinolytic activity after exercise (PAR).Regular moderate activity increased the resting level of ELT, but strenuous activity decreased is. After each treadmill testing, a marked increase in fibrinolytic activity was observed. RFS was unaltered at all three testings. PAR increased after moderate activity, but decreased after strenuous activity.The results indicate that regular physical activity can lead from enhanced to decreased resting activity of plasminogen activator in blood. It is presumed that increased release of activator during prolonged stress causes partial depletion of endothelial stores with the consequence of decreased activator activity in the blood.


Author(s):  
N. G. Vengerovich ◽  
M. А. Yudin ◽  
M. S. Vakhviyajnen ◽  
O. O. Vladimirova ◽  
I. I. Аlekseeva ◽  
...  

A comparative analysis of influence of fentanyl, dexmedetomidine and their combination on physical activity tolerance, electrocardiogram indexes and integral tolerance rates (therapeutic indices range) was conducted on an experimental model of cardiac failure induced by daily subcutaneous injections of 0.4 mg/kg adrenaline hydrochloride over 7 days. The findings were also confirmed by histomorphologic validation. In a suggested model of impaired cardial function, the analgesic activity and toxicity of fentanyl, dexmedetomidine and their combination were assessed in comparison with intact animals. It was shown that on the background of cardiac pathology, 13 to 25% decrease of average lethal doses was observed for each of the drugs under consideration. At the same time when drugs were administered in combination, an average aanalgetic dose did not change unlike single-drug analgesia.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 391
Author(s):  
Junhee Ahn ◽  
Youngran Yang

(1) Background: Glycemic control is an effective way to reduce the cardiovascular complications of diabetes. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors associated with poor glycemic control amongst rural residents with diabetes in Korea. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional analysis was conducted amongst a total of 522 participants who had completed baseline health examinations for the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) Rural Cohort from 2005 to 2011. The subjects were divided into two groups: the good glycemic control group (GCG) (glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) < 7%) and the poor GCG (HbA1C ≥ 7%). Logistic regression was used to examine the role of sociodemographics, health-related behavior, comorbidity and diabetes-related and clinical factors in poor glycemic control amongst rural residents with diabetes. (3) Results: In total, 48.1% of participants were in the poor GCG. Poor GCG was significantly associated with drinking (odds ratio (OR) = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.24–0.71), lack of regular physical activity (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.03–2.76), fasting blood glucose (FBG) > 130 mg/dL (OR = 7.80, 95% CI = 4.35–13.98), diabetes for > 7 years (OR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.08–2.98), cholesterol ≥ 200 mg/dL (OR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.05–2.84) and positive urine glucose (OR = 6.24, 95% CI = 1.32–29.44). (4) Conclusion: Intensive glucose control interventions should target individuals amongst rural residents with diabetes who do not engage in regular physical activity, have been diagnosed with diabetes for more than seven years and who have high fasting-blood glucose, high cholesterol levels and glucose-positive urine.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 579
Author(s):  
Deborah Talamonti ◽  
Thomas Vincent ◽  
Sarah Fraser ◽  
Anil Nigam ◽  
Frédéric Lesage ◽  
...  

Cardiovascular fitness is linked to better executive functions, preserved gait speed, and efficient cortical activity. Older adults with cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) typically show poor cognitive performance, low physical fitness, and altered brain functioning compared with healthy individuals. In the current study, the impact of regular physical activity on cognition, locomotion, and brain functions was explored in a cohort of older adults with low or high CVRFs. Cortical activation of the frontal areas was investigated using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) at baseline, at 6 months and at 12 months. Evoked cortical response and behavioral performance were assessed using the dual-task walking paradigm, consisting of three conditions: single cognitive task (2-back task), single walking task (walking), and dual-task (2-back whilst walking). Results show greater task-related cortical response at baseline in individuals with high CVRFs compared to those with low CVRFs. Moreover, participants with high CVRFs benefitted the most from participating in regular physical activity, as their cortical response decreased at the 12-month follow-up and became comparable to that of participants with low CVRFs. These changes were observed in conjunction with improved cognitive performance and stable gait speed throughout the 12-month period in both groups. Our findings provide evidence that participation in regular physical activity may be especially beneficial in individuals with CVRFs by promoting brain and cognitive health, thus potentially contributing to prevention of cognitive decline. Future research may explore whether such effects are maintained in the long-term in order to design ad-hoc interventions in this specific population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Menezes ◽  
Rui P. Rocha

Abstract Societies in the most developed countries have witnessed a significant ageing of the population in recent decades, which increases the demand for healthcare services and caregivers. The development of technologies to help the elderly, so that they can remain active and independent for a longer time, helps to mitigate the sustainability problem posed in care services. This article follows this new trend, proposing a multi-agent system composed of a smart camera network, centralised planning agent, a virtual coach, and robotic exercise buddy, designed to promote regular physical activity habits among the elderly. The proposed system not only persuades the users to perform exercise routines, but also guides and accompanies them during exercises in order to provide effective training and engagement to the user. The different agents are combined in the system to exploit their complementary features in the quest for an effective and engaging training system. Three variants of the system, involving either a partial set of those agents or the full proposed system, were evaluated and compared through a pilot study conducted with 12 elderly users. The results demonstrate that all variants are able to guide the user in an exercise routine, but the most complete system that includes a robotic exercise buddy was the best scored by the participants. Article Highlights Proposal of a multi-agent system to help elderly adopting regular physical activity habits. A virtual coach and a robotic exercise buddy provide both guidance and companionship during the exercise. A pilot study conducted with 12 elderly users demonstrated an effective and engaging training system.


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