Age-Related differences in arm acceleration and center of mass control during a slip incident
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Age-Related_Differences_Arms_S ...
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Department of Physical Therapy, University of ArizonaDepartment of Physiology, University of Arizona
Issue Date
2025-05-06
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Springer Science and Business Media LLCCitation
Lee-Confer, J.S., Lo, M.K. & Troy, K.L. Age-Related differences in arm acceleration and center of mass control during a slip incident. Sci Rep 15, 15727 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00412-9Journal
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© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
Arm abduction motion can help reduce lateral center of mass (CoM) excursion and restore balance within the frontal plane during slip perturbations. This study aimed to quantify and compare frontal plane arm kinematics and their relationship with CoM control between older and younger adults experiencing a slip. Eleven older adults (age: 72.0 ± 5.0 years) and eleven younger adults (age: 25.5 ± 6.1 years) underwent an induced slip perturbation while walking. Although peak arm abduction angles were similar between groups, younger adults achieved peak arm abduction significantly earlier (542 ± 67 ms) compared to older adults (853 ± 509 ms; p = 0.03). Additionally, younger adults exhibited significantly higher peak arm abduction acceleration compared to older adults (3593.21 ± 1144.80 vs. 2309.83 ± 1428.48 degrees/s2; p = 0.03). Younger adults also demonstrated significantly reduced lateral CoM excursion relative to older adults (4.6 ± 3.5 cm vs. 10.47 ± 6.6 cm; p < 0.01). Peak arm abduction acceleration negatively correlated with lateral CoM excursion (r = -0.52, p < 0.02), indicating that rapid arm movements are associated with improved balance control. A regression analysis confirmed arm abduction acceleration as a significant predictor of lateral CoM displacement (p = 0.005) meaning every 1000 degrees/s2 increase in arm acceleration results in an approximate 2 cm decrease in lateral CoM displacement during a slip. These findings suggest older adults’ diminished arm acceleration in response to slips potentially compromises their ability to stabilize their CoM effectively, highlighting a possible target for fall-prevention interventions.Note
Open access journalEISSN
2045-2322Version
Final published versionae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1038/s41598-025-00412-9
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.