Comparison of body balance in active elderly and young adults

Resumo

Introduction: The aging process generates changes in physiology and in the performance of daily living activities. Objective: To compare the postural control of active seniors and young adults with and without visual information, by means of a force platform. Method: A cross-sectional exploratory study was carried out with 66 subjects divided into two groups: G1, young adults with an average age of 20.33 (1.86) years; and G2, active elderly individuals with an average age of 67.42 (6.2) years. Results: The displacements observed with the use of vision were 0.84 cm (AP) and 0.63 cm (ML) in the younger group and 1.33 cm (AP) and 1.02 cm (MP) in the group of active seniors. Without the use of visual information: 0.95 cm (AP) and 0.68 cm (ML) in the young group and 1.46 cm (AP) and 1.21 cm (ML) in the elderly group. The average displacement exhibited significant differences (p<0.001). Conclusion: In spite of exercising regularly, the elderly group showed greater fluctuations with and without visual information.