Article

Little is known about dynamic balance control under dual-task conditions in older
adults with fear of falling (FoF). The purpose of this study was to examine the
effect of FoF on anticipatory postural adjustment (APA) during gait initiation
under dual-task conditions in older adults. Fifty-seven elderly volunteers (age,
79.2 [6.8] years) from the community participated in this study. Each participant
was categorised into either the Fear (n=24) or No-fear (n=33) group on the basis
of the presence or absence of FoF. Under single- and dual-task conditions, centre
of pressure (COP) data were collected while the participants performed gait
initiation trials from a starting position on a force platform. We also performed
a 10-m walking test (WT), a timed up & go test (TUG), and a functional reach test
(FR). The reaction and APA phases were measured from the COP data. The results
showed that under the dual-task condition, the Fear group had significantly
longer APA phases than the No-fear group, although no significant differences
were observed between the 2 groups in the reaction and APA phases under the
single-task condition and in any clinical measurements (WT, TUG, and FR). Our
findings suggest that specific deficits in balance control occur in subjects with
FoF during gait initiation while dual tasking, even if their physical functions
are comparable to subjects without FoF.
CI - Copyright (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS