How long an individual can balance on one leg serves as a more significant indicator of aging than variations in strength or walking patterns, according to recent Mayo Clinic research.
How long an individual can balance on one leg serves as a more significant indicator of aging than variations in strength or walking patterns, according to recent Mayo Clinic research. The findings of this study are published today in the journal PLOS ONE.
Maintaining good balance, muscle strength, and a steady walking style play crucial roles in ensuring ongoing independence and well-being as we grow older. Understanding how these attributes evolve and at what pace can assist healthcare providers in creating strategies for healthy aging. On an individual level, people can enhance their balance without requiring specialized tools and can focus on preserving it over time.
This study involved 40 healthy, independent participants aged 50 and above, who were evaluated through various tests assessing walking, balance, grip strength, and knee strength. Participants were evenly split into two age groups: those under 65 and those aged 65 and older.
During the balance evaluations, participants stood on force plates under different conditions: on both feet with their eyes open, on both feet with their eyes closed, on their non-dominant leg with their eyes open, and on their dominant leg with their eyes open. While balancing on one leg, participants could position their raised leg as they chose. Each test lasted for 30 seconds.
The results showed that balancing on the nondominant leg displayed the most significant decline as age increased.
“Balance is a critical metric because it relies not only on muscle strength but also on contributions from vision, the vestibular system, and the somatosensory systems,” states Kenton Kaufman, Ph.D., the lead author of the study and director of the Motion Analysis Laboratory at Mayo Clinic. “Observations in balance are significant. Poor balance raises the chance of falling, regardless of movement. Falls pose a serious health danger that can lead to significant outcomes.”
Involuntary falls are the primary cause of injuries in adults aged 65 and over. The majority of these falls can be attributed to balance issues.
The study also included:
- Researchers utilized a specially designed device to evaluate grip strength. In the knee strength test, participants were seated and instructed to extend their knee with maximum effort. Both grip and knee strength tests were focused on the dominant side. Significant declines in both grip and knee strength were noted across decades, but balance showed a more pronounced decline. Grip strength deteriorated at a faster pace compared to knee strength, making it a more reliable aging indicator than other strength metrics.
- For the gait assessment, participants walked back and forth on a flat 8-meter walkway at their usual pace. Little to no change in gait parameters was observed with age, which was expected since participants were walking at their regular speed rather than their maximum, according to Dr. Kaufman.
- No specific age-related declines in strength tests were found based on sex, suggesting that both grip and knee strength decreased at a similar level across genders. Researchers did not observe any significant sex differences in gait and balance tests, indicating that aging influenced both male and female participants equally.
According to Dr. Kaufman, people can actively work on improving their balance. For instance, practicing standing on one leg can help coordinate muscle strength and vestibular responses to uphold balance. Successfully balancing on one leg for 30 seconds is considered a good achievement, he mentions.
“If you don’t use it, you lose it. Likewise, if you actively engage in it, you will maintain it,” Dr. Kaufman advises. “It’s an easy activity requiring no special tools, and you can practice it daily.”
This study was funded by the Robert and Arlene Kogod Professorship in Geriatric Medicine and the W. Hall Wendel Jr. Musculoskeletal Professorship.
