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.
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Impact mechanics theory suggests that peak loads should decrease with increase in system energy absorption. In light of the reduced hip fracture risk for persons with high body mass index (BMI) and for falls on soft surfaces, the purpose of this study was to characterize the effects of participant BMI, gender, and flooring surface on system energy absorption during lateral falls on the hip with human volunteers.
Although balance during quiet standing is postulated to be influenced by multiple factors, including ankle stiffness, it is unclear how different mechanisms underlying increases in stiffness affect balance control. Accordingly, this study examined the influence of muscle activation and passive ankle stiffness increases on the magnitude and frequency of postural sway.