Abstract
Holding asymmetrical loads in the hands is common during many daily and occupational activities which, depending on the load mass, may alter postural stability. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of load magnitude held asymmetrically in the hand on postural sway in older people. Eighteen healthy older adults (age 65.9 ± 5.7 years) were assessed in the following conditions; (1) standing without an external load (0%), (2) standing while holding a grocery bag containing 5%, (3) 10% and (4) 20% body mass in the dominant hand. The total displacement of the centre of pressure (COP) in the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions (cm), mean COP velocity (cm s−1) and COP area (cm2) were used to indirectly assess postural sway. The COP area (R 2 = 0.96), anteroposterior (R 2 = 0.85) and mediolateral (R 2 = 0.84) COP displacement increased linearly with additional load. The 20% load condition elicited the greatest increase in postural sway (d = 2.1–3.6) compared to 0%, while the 5% load had no effects on sway (P ≥ 0.05). In contrast, the mean COP velocity decreased by similar amounts when holding a load at 5% (d = 1.6), 10% (d = 1.4) and 20% (d = 1.5) body mass, compared to 0% (all P < 0.001). The slower COP velocity, combined with greater COP displacements may suggest that postural reactions were restricted and/or delayed. From a fall-prevention perspective, it is advised that older people avoid holding asymmetrical external loads greater than 5% of body mass.
References
Masud T, Morris RO (2001) Epidemiology of falls. Age Ageing 30:3–7
Era P, Sainio P, Koskinen S et al (2006) Postural balance in a random sample of 7,979 subjects aged 30 years and over. Gerontology 52:204–213
Paillard T (2012) Effects of general and local fatigue on postural control: a review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 36:162–176
Cornilleau-Pérès V, Shabana N, Droulez J et al (2005) Measurement of the visual contribution to postural steadiness from the COP movement: methodology and reliability. Gait Posture 22:96–106
Schiffman JM, Bensel CK, Hasselquist L et al (2006) Effects of carried weight on random motion and traditional measures of postural sway. Appl Ergon 37:607–614
Heller MF, Challis JH, Sharkey NA (2009) Changes in postural sway as a consequence of wearing a military backpack. Gait Posture 30:115–117
Rugelj D, Sevšek F (2011) The effect of load mass and its placement on postural sway. Appl Ergon 42:860–866
Qu X, Nussbaum MA (2009) Effects of external loads on balance control during upright stance: experimental results and model-based predictions. Gait Posture 29:23–30
Bampouras TM, Dewhurst S (2016) Carrying shopping bags does not alter static postural stability and gait parameters in healthy older females. Gait Posture 46:81–85
Hill MW, Duncan MJ, Oxford SW et al (2018) Effects of external loads on postural sway during quiet stance in adults aged 20–80 years. Appl Ergon 66:64–69
Zultowski I, Aruin A (2008) Carrying loads and postural sway in standing: the effect of load placement and magnitude. Work 304:359–368
Piirtola M, Era P (2006) Force platform measurements as predictors of falls among older people—a review. Gerontology 52:1–16
Błaszczyk JW, Cieślinska-Świder J, Plewa M et al (2009) Effects of excessive body weight on postural control. J Biomech 42:1295–1300
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors had no financial or personal relationships with other people or organisations that could inappropriately influence the work submitted in this manuscript.
Research involving Human Participants and/or Animals
All study procedures involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and the study was carried out in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the declaration of Helsinki (1964).
Informed consent
Written informed consent was obtained from all participants included in this study, as required by the Helsinki declaration (1964).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hill, M.W., Price, M.J. Carrying heavy asymmetrical loads increases postural sway during quiet standing in older adults. Aging Clin Exp Res 30, 1143–1146 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-017-0872-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-017-0872-y