Article

The Functional Reach Test (FRT) is a clinical assessment of the risk
of falls in elderly or disabled subjects. However, the FRT is complex (involving
the leg, hip and trunk joints) and previous studies have shown that several
different strategies can be used to complete the test. OBJECTIVES: To describe
the strategies used by healthy, adult subjects when performing the FRT and to
assess the influence of age on choice of the strategy.
METHOD: This was a pilot
study in which 29 non-fallers (18 under-50s and 11 over-75s) were asked to
perform the FRT on a force platform in a motion analysis laboratory. A total of
18 reflective markers were placed on the body. The main outcome measures were the
FRT score, the centre of pressure (CoP) excursion, and kinetic and kinematic test
data. The two age groups were compared using a non-parametric, two-sample
Mann-Whitney U test. A cluster analysis of the entire population grouped subjects
together according to their functional similarities.
RESULTS: The older subjects
displayed a smaller CoP anteroposterior displacement (P<0.01), greater backwards
displacement of the pelvis (P<0.05) and less trunk rotation during the FRT
(P=0.024) than the younger subjects. The cluster analysis split the population
into two groups, which differed in terms of age, FRT score, pelvis translation,
and CoP displacement. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that at the moment of trunk
flexion, elderly subjects use pelvic translation in order to limit forward
displacement of the CoP and prevent forward imbalance.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
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Langue : ANGLAIS ; FRANCAIS