Article

Novel safety flooring systems are a promising approach for reducing fall-related
injuries in seniors, as they have been demonstrated to substantially reduce
impact severity during falls, while minimally impairing balance control in
community-dwelling older women. This pilot study aimed to characterize the
potential effects of flooring conditions on dynamic balance control in retirement
home-dwellers with more limited mobility. A tether-release paradigm was used to
simulate a trip-type perturbation in 15 seniors across five flooring surfaces
(three novel safety floors and one carpet compared to institutional-grade
resilient rolled-sheeting). Kinetic and kinematic data tracked the displacement
profiles of the underfoot centre-of-pressure and whole-body centre-of-mass, which
were used to characterize compensatory balance reactions. Difference tests
(ANOVA) found that the onset of the compensatory balance reaction was not
associated with floor condition, nor were the timing and magnitude of peak
centre-of-pressure excursion (minimum margin of safety) and velocity.
Accordingly, the minimum margin of safety of the centre-of-mass was not
significantly different across floors. Equivalence tests supported these
findings. This study provides evidence that the carpet and novel safety floors
tested do not negatively influence characteristics of initial dynamic balance
responses following a lean-and-release perturbation compared to an
institutional-grade resilient rolled-sheeting surface. In combination with
reports of substantial force attenuative properties during fall-related impacts,
these findings support the promise of novel safety floors as a biomechanically
effective strategy for reducing fall-related injuries.
CI - Crown Copyright (c) 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS