ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Maintaining balance is important throughout life. The Nintendo Wii Balance Board (WBB) can give reliable quantitative measures of postural balance, but reference data are lacking. Furthermore, one-leg standing balance across the adult lifespan is not fully described. The aim of the study was (1) to provide reference data on postural balance in multiple standing positions using a WBB, (2) to determine an age cut-off for the ability to stand on one-leg in men and women. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study and data was collected in two cities in Denmark (Aalborg and Odense) and Norway (Oslo and Ålesund) during spring and summer of 2016. Postural balance was assessed in individuals across the adult lifespan in three different bases of support positions (hip-wide and narrow two-legged stance, and one-legged stance) using a WBB. Reference data were analyzed and presented in 10-year intervals. RESULTS: A total of 354 individuals aged 20-99 years were recruited. Reference data were presented in percentiles stratified by gender for the following age categories: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, and 80+. Data showed that the difference between men and women's balance was larger at older age with men performing worst. The cut-off ability to stand on one-leg was 72.5 years without statistical evidence of gender difference. CONCLUSION: This study reports reference data for postural balance across the entire adult lifespan using a WBB. More than half of the individuals over 72.5 years of age were unable to stand balanced on one-leg.
Subject(s)
Postural Balance , Standing Position , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Cross-Sectional Studies , Denmark , Female , Humans , Longevity , Male , Middle Aged , Reference Standards , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Accurate assessment of isometric hand grip strength (HGS) and isometric lower limb strength (LS) are often limited to specialized clinics due to high costs and need for specialized equipment and personnel. A mobile and user-friendly device would facilitate a wider use of these measures in the clinical setting. The Nintendo Wii Balance Board (WBB) is a novel and pragmatic tool that has been validated for measuring muscle strength and other clinically relevant physiological variables. However, reference data for HGS and LS are lacking. The purpose of the current study is to establish reference data for HGS and LS in individuals ≥20 years of age using the WBB method, and to characterize the effects of age in these measurements. METHOD: Healthy participants were recruited at various locations and their HGS and LS were tested by six assessors using the WBB. Reference data were analysed and presented in age-groups, while the age-related change in HGS and LS was tested and characterized with linear regression models. RESULTS: Three hundred and fifty-four participants between 20 and 99 years of age were tested. Data are presented separately according to gender and the following age categories: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, and 80+, and presented in absolute values as well as percentiles. The main findings were; (1) Significantly higher HGS and LS among males compared to females and for the dominant limb compared to the non-dominant limb, (2) a significant decline in strength with increasing age, and (3) the rate of decline increased significantly (i.e. it was non-linear) with age for HGS, but not for LS. CONCLUSION: This study reported reference data with percentiles for a novel method for assessing HGS and LS. Data were consistent with previously known effects of age and gender on HGS and LS. The presented data may supplement future trials using the WBB in research or in the clinical setting.
Subject(s)
Hand Strength/physiology , Lower Extremity/physiology , Musculoskeletal Diseases/diagnosis , Symptom Assessment/instrumentation , Video Games , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Aging/physiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Healthy Volunteers , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Musculoskeletal Diseases/physiopathology , Postural Balance/physiology , Sex Factors , Symptom Assessment/methods , Young AdultABSTRACT
A standard PC-based equipment--"Multiview Photophone"--for two-way image conference between hospitals by means of digital images transmitted through ordinary telephone lines was tested. The technical and visual quality of scanned and transmitted pictures proved to be satisfactory, and ease of handling the equipment and transmission times were acceptable. The clinical test was made by image conferences between a neurological department in a general hospital and a neurosurgical department in a university hospital. CT-scans concerning 39 patients in a prospective series, for whom specialist advice from the neurosurgical department was found necessary, were transmitted. Four of nine acute patients were saved an "unnecessary" transferral to the neurosurgical department. The 30 elective patients were all found to benefit from the two-way conferences, since the decision time was reduced and the quality of information given to the patients and their relatives was improved.