Arm Reactions in Response to an Unexpected Slip – Impact of Aging

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cham R ; Chambers AJ ; Merrill Z
• Description:
  Slips and falls represent a serious public safety concern in older adults, with the segment of the United States population over the age of 65 accounting for about three quarters of all fall related deaths. The majority of falls in older adults are due to trips and slips. The objective of this study was to investigate how age affects arm reactions generated in response to unexpected slips. Thirty-three participants divided into two age groups (16 young, 17 old) participated in this study. Participants were exposed to two conditions: known dry walking (baseline) and an unexpected slip initiated when stepping onto a glycerol-contaminated floor. The upper extremity parameters of interest included the timing and amplitude of the shoulder flexion moment generated in response to the slip as well as the resulting angular kinematics (trajectories). The analysis of the kinetic data revealed a delayed shoulder flexion reaction to slips in older adults compared to their young counterparts, as well as a greater flexion moment magnitude. Knowledge of such upper body reaction mechanisms to unexpected slips may help to improve balance recovery training in older adults, as well as aid in the implementation of environmental modifications, e.g. handrails, to reduce falls-related injuries. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Aging Biomechanical Phenomena Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Age Groups Author Keywords: Slipping Biomechanics Floors Motion Studies Slips, Trips, And Falls STF Upper Body Reactions Upper Extremities Walking Surfaces
• ISSN:
  0021-9290
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  21-26
• Volume:
  58
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050684
• Citation:
  J Biomech 2017 Jun; 58:21-26
• Contact Point Address:
  Zachary Merrill, Department of Bioengineering, 302 Benedum Hall, 3700 O'Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
• Email:
  zfm1@pitt.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  University of Pittsburgh
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20020801
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Biomechanics
• End Date:
  20110831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6d9781d359c7fc630b4015ee90db6e4270bed812f02d4758b33d659e0561b4465f800d961ff05eb43972ac0a56a5439d36e38e077cf7612eb52b1a3ed4f1a40e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210931/cdc_210931_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 335.59 KB ]