To ascertain whether various simple agility tests and mobility assessments can serve as predictive factors for distinguishing between MS and SS in fall avoidance strategies.
Thirty-six older women residing in the community participated in this study. The tether-release method prompted a forward balance recovery step at 15% of their body weight, leading to the classification of participants into MS (n = 17) and SS groups (n = 19). Lower limb strength tests, including hip flexor isometric maximum strength, peak normalized rate of force development (pRFD), time to peak RFD (TTpRFD), mobility tests such as five × sit-to-stand (5×SST), and agility tests such as the two-square agility test, ten-step test (TST), 20-second open-close stepping test, and walking speed, were performed for both groups. Statistical analyses, including discriminant analysis, were performed to identify factors that differentiate MS group members from those in the SS group.
The MS group exhibited significantly lower pRFD (p 0.01), slower TTpRFD (p 0.01), and worse performance in the 5×SST (p 0.01) and TST (p 0.05) compared to those in the SS group. Moreover, the results of discriminant analysis demonstrated that the model incorporating pRFD and TST factors achieved a discrimination rate of 91.6%.
Hip flexor explosive strength and agility tests, such as rapid alternate foot placement on a stool, are essential for predicting performance in fall avoidance stepping among community-dwelling older adults.
Balance and maximum muscle strength have often been used in clinical assessments of functional abilities in older adults. As an assessment focused on fall avoidance in older adults, explosive strength and agility tests may need to be incorporated for lower limbs to standard balance testing in the future.
agility test
rate of force development
