Balance Screening of Vestibular Function in Subjects Aged 4 Years and Older: A Living Laboratory Experience.

ABSTRACT: To better understand the various individual factors that contribute to balance and the relation to fall risk, we performed the modified Romberg Test of Standing Balance on Firm and Compliant Support, with 1,174 participants between 4 and 83 years of age. This research was conducted in the Living Laboratory® at the Museum of Science, Boston. We specifically focus on balance test condition 4, in which individuals stand on memory foam with eyes closed, and must rely on their vestibular system; therefore, performance in this balance test condition provides a proxy for vestibular function. We looked for balance variations associated with sex, race/ethnicity, health factors, and age. We found that balance test performance was stable between 10 and 39 years of age, with a slight increase in the f

SUBMITTER: Bermudez Rey MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5712334 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature