Article

The balance control system of a group of healthy and fit, young and elderly subjects was studied during the initiation of stepping in one of three directions : forward, sideways, and backwards in response to a light cue. The performance of these movements requires shifting support from two to one foot, moving the centre of mass outside the initial base of support and creating a new support configuration. By recording and analysing the vertical ground reaction force beneath the subject's stepping foot, we were able to examine the two phases prior to limb lift-off for stepping : reaction time and weight transfer time. Both reaction time and weight transfer time increased with age : the elderly subjects had a proportioately larger increase in weight transfer time compared to the reaction time.

Langue : ANGLAIS

Identifiant basis : 1993001390