The Usefulness of Maximal Step Length to Predict Annual Fall Risk.
- Author:
Yong Chol KWON
1
;
Seok Joong KIM
;
Hwa Jung KIM
;
Jinho PARK
;
Jin Young CHOI
;
Be Long CHO
Author Information
1. Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea. belong@snu.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
maximal step length;
unipedal stance;
timed up and go;
frequent fall;
elderly adults
- MeSH:
Adult;
Aged;
Humans;
Incidence;
Leg;
Visual Acuity;
Surveys and Questionnaires
- From:Journal of the Korean Academy of Family Medicine
2008;29(1):26-33
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Many clinical measures have been used to assess fall risk in elderly adults. The first objective of this study was to assess the clinical availability of maximal step length (MSL) as a measurement predicting falling probability in future. The second objective of this study was to try to find out how to use MSL more easily in a clinical setting. METHODS: The study population consisted of 50 community-dwelling people (> or =60 yrs). Demographic data were reviewed by self-recorded questionnaire and MSL, US and TUG had been done when the subjects visited a clinic in March and April 2004. They revisited the clinic after one year and information of fall incidence was obtained and their visual acuity was examined. To examine the association between many performance tests (MSL Unipedal stance, Timed up and go) and their real falling after tests, we analysed data by Mann-Whitney rank Test, pearson correlation and multiple regression. RESULTS: The average MSL predicted future falling (P-value 0.025), but Unipedal stance, Timed up and go did not. The predicting ability of MSL was preserved using many MSL measures (average MSL corrected by leg length and height, one direction measure among six directions of MSL, and average of left and right three directions of MSL). CONCLUSION: This study showed that MSL had the ability to predict elderly adults' falling in future. And this study showed that MSL can be used more easily in a clinical setting.
