Publication: WALKING THE PLANK IMPROVES GAIT SPEED AND BALANCE CONFIDENCE IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS.
| dc.contributor.author | Sidaway, Ben | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-04-22T15:51:44Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2026-04-16 | |
| dc.description.abstract | A third of community-dwelling older adults will fall at least once per year with walking being the leading cause of such falls. In such individuals, the greatest postural instability during walking occurs in the mediolateral direction and thus lateral instability is a significant risk factor for falls. The current study uses one-month of beam walking as a means to challenge the dynamic mediolateral stability of older adults in an attempt to improve balance confidence and falls risk. Participants were 24 community dwelling older adults over 70 years of age (Mean = 83.5 yrs.). Baseline assessment included a fear of falling questionnaire, the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale, the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), and collection of multiple gait parameters during normal and quick walking. Participants were then assessed on their ability to walk along a series of six wooden beams (6 m long, 2 cm thick) of decreasing widths. Following pretest measurements participants practiced walking on the beams for 20 minutes twice a week for 4 weeks. Gait parameters were collected on the final training day, and all pretest measures were repeated one week later. At pretest, the 24 participants reported 38 falls in the previous six months. A six-month follow-up showed 11 falls after training. At pretest, 83% of participants were somewhat afraid of falling, compared with 37% at retention. Analysis of the ABC data revealed a significant improvement in balance confidence from the pretest (M = 61%) to the retention test (M = 90%). The DGI also improved from the pretest to the retention test. Gait analysis revealed that stride length and gait velocity increased significantly following beam training while stride length and stride width variability decreased. Beam training appears to be a simple intervention that can improve dynamic mediolateral stability consequently reducing the falls risk of older adults. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://dspace.husson.edu/handle/20.500.14298/1100 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.title | WALKING THE PLANK IMPROVES GAIT SPEED AND BALANCE CONFIDENCE IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS. | |
| dc.type | Poster | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| relation.isAuthorOfPublication | 171f7beb-407f-4764-ab1b-9360ee8f94d8 | |
| relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery | 171f7beb-407f-4764-ab1b-9360ee8f94d8 |