Show simple item record

dc.contributor.advisorBarrett, Rodney
dc.contributor.authorGraham, David Fraser
dc.date.accessioned2018-01-23T02:58:08Z
dc.date.available2018-01-23T02:58:08Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.identifier.doi10.25904/1912/41
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/368001
dc.description.abstractFalls in older adults are a substantial cause of injury, morbidity and mortality. Reducing the health burden of falls relies in part on identification of an individual’s risk of falling and targeted interventions that improve balance. In particular there is increasing evidence that many falls occur as a result of an impaired stepping response following loss of balance. It therefore follows that a thorough understanding of factors associated with impaired and successful step recovery is required to inform efforts to prevent falls via the design of more efficacious and safe exercise-based training interventions for fall prevention. The basic biomechanics (i.e. kinematics and joint moments) of balance recovery by stepping in older versus younger adults, and older fallers compared to non-fallers have been well described in the literature. The main focus of this thesis is to build on this fundamental understanding of balance recovery through the use of musculoskeletal models to understand the cause and effect relationship between muscles forces and the movement patterns and articular loads they generate. The purpose of the first experimental study (Chapter 3) was to determine the biomechanical factors that best predict maximal balance recovery performance. Forward loss of balance was achieved by releasing community-dwelling older adults (n = 117) from a maximal static forward lean angle from which participants attempted to recover balance by taking a single step. Lower limb strength measures, step recovery kinematics, stepping limb kinetics accounted for between 8 to 19%, 3 to 59%, and 3 to 61% of the variance in the Maximal Recoverable Lean Angle (MRLA) respectively.
dc.languageEnglish
dc.publisherGriffith University
dc.publisher.placeBrisbane
dc.rights.copyrightThe author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
dc.subject.keywordsBiomechanics
dc.subject.keywordsLoss of balance
dc.subject.keywordsBalance recovery
dc.titleBiomechanics of Recovery from Forward Loss of Balance by Stepping in Older Adults
dc.typeGriffith thesis
gro.facultyGriffith Health
gro.rights.copyrightThe author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
gro.hasfulltextFull Text
dc.contributor.otheradvisorLloyd, David
dc.contributor.otheradvisorCarty, Christopher
dc.rights.accessRightsPublic
gro.identifier.gurtIDgu1486091863035
gro.thesis.degreelevelThesis (PhD Doctorate)
gro.thesis.degreeprogramDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
gro.departmentSchool of Allied Health
gro.griffith.authorGraham, David F.


Files in this item

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record