Effects of aging and localized muscle fatigue on balance control

Abstract

In the recent years, it is found that falls are the major cause of occupational injuries.

Concurrently, aging has found to be the major cause for falls as well. Many risk factors have been highlighted, which compromise the balance factor. Therefore, there is a need for better undertsandling of these risk factors, so as to reduce these occurrence of falls and injuries. Two of these risk factors are specially selected for this experiment. First being the age factor, which is due to the prevaling fall related injuries. Statistics have shown that the increasing number of falls occurs among the elderly group, thus this experiment will be able to show the relationship between the age factor and balance control. Secondly, the problem with industrial injuries has been getting more and more serious. The better understanding with the role of muscle fatigue and the control of own balance will thus be of great help to many workers, in preventing injuries. Ten test subjects, five from an elderly group and the other five from the younger group will participate in this experiment. A force platform is engaged to “measure” the posture of these test subjects. To test for the effetcs of aging on balance control, the force platform will show the posture balance of these test subjects from each group. Comparisons and statistical analysis will be done on these readings, to see if there is a significant difference between these two group of people.

For the effects of muscle fatigue on balance control, a pre-fatigue condition of these test subjects will be taken. Fatigue will then be induced in these test subjects with different exercise specialy design to induce fatigue in a prticular muscle location. A after-fatigue condition is taken again on the force platform for comparison again. Since the back and knee muscles are the more commonly injured areas, these two muscle group are chosen for this experiment.