If it is only observational work, the results of this study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine are striking. According to her, middle-aged and elderly people who cannot balance on their leg for 10 seconds would almost twice as likely to die in the next 10 years than those who do.
For 12 years – between 2008 and 2020 – researchers from the UK, US, Australia, Finland and Brazil followed 1,702 people aged 51 to 75 with stable gait. At the start of the study and to standardize the test, participants were asked to place the front of their foot on the back of the opposite lower leg, gaze straight ahead and hold for 10 seconds, without any additional support. . Each participant had three attempts per foot.
In total, 21% of participants failed the test. 54% of people aged 71 to 75 were unable to balance compared to only 5% of people aged 51 to 71. Those who failed were more likely to be older, overweight, or diagnosed with diabetes.
Include the position as part of a routine physical examination
At the end of the decade, 123 people died (7% of participants) from various causes. About 17.5% of those who failed the test were among those who died, compared to 4.6% of those who passed. And after controlling for age, sex and other conditions, the researchers found that an inability to stand on one leg was associated with 84% increased risk of death.
While this study is the first to examine the relationship between imbalance and mortality, other work had already shown that a poor balance would be linked to an increased risk of stroke or dementia. Unlike muscular form or flexibility, balance is often well preserved until the age of sixty, when it begins to drastically decline.
And according to the researchers, despite the limitations of the study, a 10-second balance test could be used by doctors in health check-ups from their 40s onwards, as it would provide “quick and objective feedback to the patient and healthcare professionals regarding static balance“and would add”useful information regarding mortality risk in middle-aged to older men and women“, concludes the study.
Source :
- Successful 10-second one-legged stance performance predicts survival in middle-aged and older individuals, British Journal of Sports MedicineJune 21, 2022
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