Revisiting the Instrumented Romberg Test: Can Today's Technology Offer a Risk-of-Fall Screening Device for Senior Citizens? An Experience-Based Approach

Revisiting the Instrumented Romberg Test: Can Today's Technology Offer a Risk-of-Fall Screening Device for Senior Citizens? An Experience-Based Approach

Risk of fall (ROF) is a worldwide major concern for its prevalence and consequent dramatic outcomes in the elderly population. The growing age-related risk appears to be associated with increasing motor, sensory, and cognitive problems in the elderly population. There is a consensus on the need to s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Life (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 11; no. 2; p. 161
Main Authors: Gallamini, Michele, Piastra, Giorgio, Lucarini, Simonetta, Porzio, Debora, Ronchi, Matteo, Pirino, Alessio, Scoppa, Fabio, Masiero, Stefano, Tognolo, Lucrezia
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 20-02-2021
MDPI
Subjects:
Age
Balance
Cognitive ability
Etiology
Falls
force plate
Force plates
Frailty
Identification methods
Older people
Physical activity
postural control
Posture
Prevention
Proprioception
Risk
Risk assessment
risk-of-fall
Romberg test
Sensors
unperturbed upright stance
Vestibular system
United States > US
risk-of-fall
postural control
force plate
Romberg test
balance
unperturbed upright stance
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Summary:Risk of fall (ROF) is a worldwide major concern for its prevalence and consequent dramatic outcomes in the elderly population. The growing age-related risk appears to be associated with increasing motor, sensory, and cognitive problems in the elderly population. There is a consensus on the need to screen for these balance dysfunctions, but the available methods are largely based on subjectively assessed performances. The instrumented Romberg test using a force plate represents a validated assessment process for the evaluation of balance performances. The purpose of this study is to propose an innovative instrumental method to identify balance deficits, assess their severity, and give an automated indication of the most likely etiology. The proposed new method was applied to the instrumented Romberg test, using force plate data recorded in a cohort of 551 females aged >65 participating in adapted physical activity courses. The method allowed us to identify 145 dysfunctional subjects and to determine the likely origin of their deficit: 21 central, 5 vestibular, 9 visual, 59 proprioceptive (musculoskeletal etiology), and 51 functional. Based on the preliminary findings of the study, this test could be an efficient and cost-effective mass screening tool for identifying subjects at risk of fall, since the procedure proves to be rapid, non-invasive, and apparently devoid of any contraindications.
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ISSN:2075-1729
2075-1729
DOI:10.3390/life11020161