The Effects Of Trunk Sensory Stimulation Training On Standing Balance Performance In The Elderly

Toshiaki Tanaka, Norio Kato, Tomoya Miyasaka, Yusuke Maeda, Takashi Izumi

trunk tactile sensation, sensory training, new vibratory device, dynamic standing balance ability, the elderly.

Purpose: Posture becomes unstable with aging due to decline in both motor and sensory function, resulting in increased risk of injury, hospitalization, or even mortality due to falls.  The tactile sensation of the trunk will also be important in standing balance.  The purpose of the study was to reveal the characteristics of vibratory sensation function in the lumbar region of the trunk in elderly people using a new vibration device that we developed, and to verify the effects of trunk tactile sensation training on standing balance performance in elderly people.

Methods: The elderly subjects were divided randomly into two groups, the control group and the lumbar training group, and general information including age and past history of falls was collected in each group. Lumbar region vibratory sensation training was carried out for 10 weeks. The subjects were elderly people aged 65 or over, who were divided into the training group and the control group for comparison and analysis. Balance was measured as static balance and dynamic balance, and vibratory sensation was evaluated as the rate of correct responses.

Results: In the results, the lumbar training group showed improvement over time in correct response rate.  A strong correlation was found between lumbar vibratory sensation and dynamic balance performance, which is related to the causes of falls.

Conclusion: These results suggested that a trunk training may contribute to improved dynamic balance performance.  It may be concluded that tactile sensation in the trunk is particularly important for avoiding falls when standing or walking.

https://doi.org/10.31871/IJNTR.7.1.4