Faculty Collaboration Database

The influence of visual factors on fall-related kinematic variables during stair descent by older women. J Gerontol 1991 Nov;46(6):M188-95

Date

11/01/1991

Pubmed ID

1940077

DOI

10.1093/geronj/46.6.m188

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0025841656 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   92 Citations

Abstract

Despite the documented health hazards associated with stair descent, the mechanisms of falling on stairs remain relatively unexamined. The objectives of this study were to define kinematic variables that could be used to describe foot-stair spatial relationships during the mid-stair phase of stair descent, and to investigate the effects of various visual and environmental conditions on those variables in a group of 36 healthy women between the ages of 55 and 70. Foot clearance and foot placement were measured through high-speed film analysis. Clearance between the foot and the stair during swing phase was small under all visual conditions. Degraded visual acuity had a significant effect on cadence, foot placement, and foot clearance, but visual surround conditions did not. The kinematic variables used in this experiment may be helpful in future studies to assess the results of interventions aimed at reducing the frequency of falls on stairs.

Author List

Simoneau GG, Cavanagh PR, Ulbrecht JS, Leibowitz HW, Tyrrell RA

Author

Guy Simoneau PhD Professor in the Physical Therapy department at Marquette University

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Accidental Falls
Aged
Aging
Analysis of Variance
Contrast Sensitivity
Environment Design
Eye Movements
Female
Foot
Gait
Humans
Locomotion
Middle Aged
Proprioception
Sensory Thresholds
Touch
Vibration
Vision, Ocular
Visual Perception