Effect of Age and Balance Impairment on Movement Strategy during Sit-to-Walk

INTRODUCTION Most falls in elderly adults occur during daily activities [1]. Many of these activities require successful movement transitions, such as from sitting to walking. Sit-to-walk (STW) requires a smooth transition from sit-to-stand (STS) to gait initiation at seat-off instant [2]. However, such smooth transition is not observed in elderly adults [3,4]. Compared to young individuals, elderly adults generated a less horizontal center of mass (COM) momentum at seat-off in order to maintain a more stable upright posture before walking [3,4]. Investigating relation between movement strategy and joint kinetic during STW can aid in understanding potential mechanisms behind an altered STW in elderly. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the differences in the movement strategy and joint kinetics during STW among three groups: healthy young adults (YA), healthy elderly adults (EA) and elderly fallers (EF).