Dataset Information

Age-related differences in stair descent balance control: Are women more prone to falls than men?

ABSTRACT: Stair descent is one of the most common forms of daily locomotion and concurrently one of the most challenging and hazardous daily activities performed by older adults. Thus, sufficient attention should be devoted to this locomotion and to the factors that affect it. This study investigates gender and age-related differences in balance control during and after stair descent on a foam mat. Forty-seven older adults (70% women) and 38 young adults (58% women) performed a descent from one step onto a foam mat. Anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) centre of pressure velocity (CoP) and standard deviation of the CoP sway were investigated during stair descent and restabilization. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed the main effects of age for the first 5 s of restabilization. Older women exhibited significantly higher values of CoP sway and velocity in both directions compared to the younger individuals (CoP SDAP5, 55%; CoP SDML5, 30%; CoP VAP5, 106%; CoP VML5, 75%). Men achieved significantly higher values of CoP sway and velocity only in the AP direction compared to their younger counterparts (CoP SDAP5, 50% and CoP VAP5, 79%). These findings suggest that with advancing age, men are at higher risk of forward falls, whereas women are at higher risk of forward and sideways falls.

SUBMITTER: Kovacikova Z

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7790224 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Age-related differences in stair descent balance control: Are women more prone to falls than men?

Kováčiková Zuzana Z Sarvestan Javad J Zemková Erika E

PloS one 20210107 1

Stair descent is one of the most common forms of daily locomotion and concurrently one of the most challenging and hazardous daily activities performed by older adults. Thus, sufficient attention should be devoted to this locomotion and to the factors that affect it. This study investigates gender and age-related differences in balance control during and after stair descent on a foam mat. Forty-seven older adults (70% women) and 38 young adults (58% women) performed a descent from one step onto ...[more]

PMID: 33411803

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Project description:PurposeTo investigate the differences of patellofemoral joint pressure and contact area between the process of stair ascent and stair descent.MethodsThe finite element models of 9 volunteers without disorders of knee (9 males) to estimate patellar cartilage pressure during the stair ascent and the stair descent. Simulations took into account cartilage morphology from magnetic resonance imaging, joint posture from weight-bearing magnetic resonance imaging, and ligament model. The three-dimension models of the patella, femur and tibia were developed with the medical image processing software, Mimics 11.1. The ligament was established by truss element of the non-linear FE solver. The equivalent gravity direction (-z direction) load was applied to the whole end of femur (femoral head) according to the body weight of the volunteers, and the force of patella was observed. A paired-samples t-test or Wilcoxon rank sum test to make comparisons between stair ascent and stair descent. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 22.0 using a P value of 0.05 to indicate significance.ResultsDuring the stair descent (knee flexion at 30°), the contact pressure of the patella was 2.59 ± 0.06Mpa. The contact pressure of femoral trochlea cartilage was 2.57 ± 0.06Mpa. During the stair ascent (knee flexion at 60°), the contact pressure with patellar cartilage was 2.82 ± 0.08Mpa. The contact pressure of the femoral trochlea cartilage was 3.03 ± 0.11Mpa. The contact area between patellar cartilage and femoral trochlea cartilage was 249.27 ± 1.35mm2 during the stair descent, which was less than 434.32 ± 1.70mm2 during the stair ascent. The area of high pressure was located in the lateral area of patella during stair descent and the area of high pressure was scattered during stair ascent.ConclusionThere are small change in the cartilage contact pressure between stair ascent and stair descent, indicating that the joint adjusts the contact pressure by increasing the contact area.

Project description:Introduction: Knee OA progression is related to medial knee contact forces, which can be altered by anatomical parameters of tibiofemoral alignment and contact point locations. There is limited and controversial literature on medial-lateral force distribution and the effect of anatomical parameters, especially in motor activities different from walking. We analyzed the effect of tibiofemoral alignment and contact point locations on knee contact forces, and the medial-lateral force distribution in knee OA subjects with varus malalignment during walking, stair ascending and stair descending. Methods: Fifty-one knee OA subjects with varus malalignment underwent weight-bearing radiographs and motion capture during walking, stair ascending and stair descending. We created a set of four musculoskeletal models per subject with increasing level of personalization, and calculated medial and lateral knee contact forces. To analyze the effect of the anatomical parameters, statistically-significant differences in knee contact forces among models were evaluated. Then, to analyze the force distribution, the medial-to-total contact force ratios were calculated from the fully-informed models. In addition, a multiple regression analysis was performed to evaluate correlations between forces and anatomical parameters. Results: The anatomical parameters significantly affected the knee contact forces. However, the contact points decreased medial forces and increased lateral forces and led to more marked variations compared to tibiofemoral alignment, which produced an opposite effect. The forces were less medially-distributed during stair negotiation, with medial-to-total ratios below 50% at force peaks. The anatomical parameters explained 30%-67% of the variability in the knee forces, where the medial contact points were the best predictors of medial contact forces. Discussion: Including personalized locations of contact points is crucial when analyzing knee contact forces in subjects with varus malalignment, and especially the medial contact points have a major effect on the forces rather than tibiofemoral alignment. Remarkably, the medial-lateral force distribution depends on the motor activity, where stair ascending and descending show increased lateral forces that lead to less medially-distributed loads compared to walking.

Project description:Generally speaking, compared to women, men are less dissatisfied with their own body and consider themselves to be better-looking and less overweight. So far, however, it is unclear whether these divergent body ratings arise from the application of double standards. With the present study, we examined whether men apply different standards to their own body than to other men's bodies and whether they differ from women in this regard. To this aim, we presented n = 104 women and n = 93 men with pictures of thin, average-weight, overweight, athletic and hypermuscular male and female bodies on a computer screen. To manipulate identification, we showed the bodies of the respective participant's gender once with the participant's own face and once with the face of another person. Identity cues, such as faces, might activate different body schemata, which influence body ratings and thus lead to the application of double standards. Participants were instructed to rate their emotional reaction to the bodies according to valence and arousal, and to rate the bodies with respect to attractiveness, body fat, and muscle mass. The application of double standards was determined by calculating the difference between the rating of a body presented with the participant's face and the rating of the same body presented with another person's face. Both women and men showed self-deprecating double standards in valence, body attractiveness, body fat and muscle mass for the overweight body. Men also revealed self-deprecating double standards for the thin, average-weight and hypermuscular bodies, but evaluated the athletic body as more attractive and with a higher positive feeling when it was presented with their own face. Women did not show any self-serving double standards and showed fewer self-deprecating double standards than men. The results indicate that men devalue non-ideal bodies and upvalue ideal bodies when they are self-related, whereas women more rate in a fair-minded manner. Thus, in contrast to women, an advantage for men may be that they are able to self-enhance in the case of desirable bodies. This ability to self-enhance regarding desirable features might be beneficial for men's self-worth and body satisfaction.

Dataset Information

Age-related differences in stair descent balance control: Are women more prone to falls than men?

Publications

Age-related differences in stair descent balance control: Are women more prone to falls than men?

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