Older adults can improve compensatory stepping with repeated postural perturbations.

ABSTRACT: The ability to respond quickly and accurately to an external perturbation with a stepping response is critical to avoid falls and this ability is impaired in older, compared to young adults. However, little is known about whether young and older adults improve compensatory stepping responses similarly with practice. This study compares the extent to which young and older adults can improve, retain, and generalize postural compensatory steps in response to external perturbations. Centre of mass displacement, step characteristics and lower leg muscle activation latencies were measured during one training session of compensatory stepping in response to large surface translations in 13 young and 12 older adults. Retention was tested 24 h later. Older adults decreased their center of mass displ

SUBMITTER: Dijkstra BW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4612504 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature