Article

For older individuals with diabetes, any decline in balance control can be
especially problematic since it is often a precursor to an increased risk of
falling. This study was designed to evaluate differences in postural motion
dynamics and falls risk for older individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM)
classified as fallers/non-fallers and, to assess what impact exercise has on
balance and falls risk. The results demonstrated that the risk of falling is
greater for those older individuals with multiple risk factors including diabetes
and a previous falls history. The postural motion features of the high-risk
individuals (T2DM-fallers) were also different, being characterized by increased
variability and complexity, increased AP-ML coupling, less overall COP motion and
increased velocity. One suggestion is that these individuals evoked a stiffening
strategy during the more challenging postural tasks. Following training, a
decline in falls risk was observed for all groups, with this effect being most
pronounced for the T2DM-fallers. Interestingly, the COP motion of this group
became more similar to controls, exhibiting decreased complexity and variability,
and decreased velocity. The reciprocal changes in COP complexity support the
broader view that age/disease-related changes in physiological complexity are
bi-directional. Overall, these results show that, even for older T2DM individuals
at greater risk of falling, targeted interventions can positively enhance their
postural dynamics. Further, the finding that the pattern of postural motion
variability and complexity was altered highlights that a decline in physiological
complexity may not always be negatively associated with aging and/or disease.
CI - Copyright (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS