A novel infrared laser device that measures multilateral parameters of stepping performance for assessment of fall risk in elderly individuals [corrected]

Avoiding falls requires fast and appropriate step responses in real-life situations. We developed a step-tracking device that uses an infrared laser sensor for convenient assessment of stepping performance, including concurrent assessment of temporal and spatial parameters. In the present study, we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aging clinical and experimental research 2013-06, Vol.25 (3), p.311-316
Main Authors: Nishiguchi, Shu, Yamada, Minoru, Uemura, Kazuki, Matsumura, Tetsuya, Takahashi, Masaki, Moriguchi, Toshiki, Aoyama, Tomoki
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidental Falls - prevention & control
Aged
Aging - physiology
Exercise Test - methods
Female
Geriatric Assessment
Humans
Infrared Rays
Lasers
Logistic Models
Male
Postural Balance - physiology
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
ROC Curve
Task Performance and Analysis
Walking - physiology
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Summary:Avoiding falls requires fast and appropriate step responses in real-life situations. We developed a step-tracking device that uses an infrared laser sensor for convenient assessment of stepping performance, including concurrent assessment of temporal and spatial parameters. In the present study, we created a new index for assessment of fall risk that uses step speed and accuracy measurements. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the new index could discriminate between elderly individuals with different risks of falling. One hundred and fifty-two community-dwelling elderly individuals (73.9 ± 4.6 years) participated and performed stepping tasks as quickly as possible on a plus-shaped mat in response to optical cues. The step-tracking device with the infrared sensor detected the motion and position of both legs in the step field. The device recorded temporal and spatial parameters, foot-off and foot-contact time, step length, and the percentage of correctly executed steps. We used the coefficients of a logistic regression model to develop "stepping-response score" based on the weighted sum of these temporal and spatial parameters. The faller group had significantly worse stepping-response score than the non-faller group (p 
ISSN:1720-8319
DOI:10.1007/s40520-013-0042-9