Article

OBJECTIVE: To determine and compare gait speed during head-forward and
side-to-side head-turn walking in individuals with lower versus greater lateral
balance. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: University research laboratory.
PARTICIPANTS: Older adults (N=93; 42 men, 51 women; mean age +/- SD, 73 +/-
6.08y) who could walk independently. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: (1) Balance tolerance
limit (BTL), defined as the lowest perturbation intensity where a multistep
balance recovery pattern was first evoked in response to randomized lateral
waist-pull perturbations of standing balance to the left and right sides, at 6
different intensities (range from level 2: 4.5-cm displacement at 180cm/s(2)
acceleration, to level 7: 22.5-cm displacement at 900cm/s(2) acceleration); (2)
gait speed, determined using an instrumented gait mat; (3) balance, evaluated
with the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale; and (4) mobility,
determined with the Timed Up and Go (TUG). RESULTS: Individuals with low versus
high BTL had a slower self-selected head-forward gait speed and head-turn gait
speed (P=.002 and P<.001, respectively); the magnitude of difference was greater
in head-turn gait speed than head-forward gait speed (Cohen's d=1.0 vs 0.6).
Head-turn gait speed best predicted BTL. BTL was moderately and positively
related (P=.003) to the ABC Scale and negatively related (P=.017) to TUG.
CONCLUSIONS: Head-turn gait speed is affected to a greater extent than
head-forward gait speed in older individuals with poorer lateral balance and at
greater risk of falls. Moreover, head-turn gait speed can be used to assess the
interactions of limitations in lateral balance function and gait speed in
relation to fall risk in older adults.
CI - Copyright (c) 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS