Fall Risk in the Elderly and Joint Moments of the Supporting Lower Limb during Sit-to-Walk

Elderly adults suffer a high incidence of falls during daily activity. It is well documented that dynamic balance and muscle strength deteriorate with age. The goal of this study is to compare total support moment and joint moment distribution of the supporting lower limb during the sit-to-walk transition in groups of young, elderly faller and elderly non-faller subjects (≥ 70 years). Force plate and three-dimensional motion analysis data were collected during several trials of the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) to calculate total support moment and joint moments at the hip, knee, and ankle during sit-to-walk. Significant differences between the groups were found in the amount of ankle joint moment produced at seat-off and swing-off events. There were not significant differences in total support moment, hip, or knee moments at these events. However, there seems to be variation in the patterns of the total support moment graphs between the groups. The variation in the ankle moment between the groups identifies the correlation between the torque produced around the ankle and balance performance. The differences in total support moment patterns found between faller, non-faller, and young groups indicate different strategies used to perform the sit-to-walk motion that may compensate for impaired balance. The relevance of this study is that it provides a correlation found between balance performance and joint moment contribution, which would be useful in creating a fall prevention and balance treatment plan.