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2 - Postural Stability and Falls

from Part I - Epidemiology and Risk Factors for Falls

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2021

By
Jasmine C. Menant ,
Yoshiro Okubo  and
Hylton B. Menz
Edited by
Stephen R. Lord ,
Catherine Sherrington  and
Vasi Naganathan
Stephen R. Lord
Affiliation:
Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney
Catherine Sherrington
Affiliation:
Sydney Medical School
Vasi Naganathan
Affiliation:
Concord Hospital
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Summary

Postural stability can be defined as the ability of an individual to maintain the position of the body, or more specifically, its centre of mass, within specific boundaries of space, referred to as stability limits. Stability limits are boundaries in which the body can maintain its position without changing the base of support [1]. This definition of postural stability is useful as it highlights the need to discuss stability in the context of a particular task or activity. For example, the stability limit of normal relaxed standing is the area bounded by the two feet on the ground, whereas the stability limit of unipedal stance is reduced to the area covered by the single foot in contact with the ground. Due to this reduction in the size of the stability limit, unipedal stance is an inherently more challenging task requiring greater postural control.

Type
Chapter
Information
Falls in Older People
Risk Factors, Strategies for Prevention and Implications for Practice
 , pp. 23 - 50
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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