Article
Biophysics
Christopher L. Deschler, Erika M. Pliner, Daina L. Sturnieks, Stephen R. Lord, Kurt E. Beschorner
Summary: Overreaching is a common cause of ladder falls, but the relationship between reaching and body leaning during ladder use and tipping risk has not been quantified. This study found that maximum reach and trunk lean were positively correlated with the center of pressure (COP) position, indicating the importance of body positioning on ladder tipping risk. Developing thresholds for unsafe reaching and leaning on a ladder based on these findings can help reduce ladder falls.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Rafael N. Ferreira, Nuno Ferrete Ribeiro, Joana Figueiredo, Cristina P. Santos
Summary: Humans' ability to recover balance in response to gait perturbations is negatively affected by aging, increasing the risk of slip and trip events leading to falls. Traditional exercise-based interventions have inconsistent results in reducing fall rates, while perturbation-based balance training (PBT) shows promise in preventing falls by improving reactive stability and fall-resisting skills. This review surveys different methods used in scientific literature to induce artificial slips and trips in healthy adults during treadmill and overground walking, aiming to bridge the gap between laboratory and real-life falls.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Ryuichi Sawa, Buichi Tanaka, Junshiro Yamamoto, Minoru Yamada
Summary: This study identified unique environmental hazards in Japanese housing structures that may contribute to trips and slips among older people. The number of environmental hazards at home was correlated with daily trips and slips experienced by older adults.
GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Stephen Dooley, Sunwook Kim, Maury A. Nussbaum, Michael L. Madigan
Summary: Occupational exoskeletons are commonly used to reduce the physical demands on workers, but their potential adverse effects on fall risk are not well studied. This study found that a leg-support exoskeleton increased the likelihood of failed recovery and negatively affected reactive balance after simulated slips and trips.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Barry R. Greene, Killian McManus, Lilian Genaro Motti Ader, Brian Caulfield
Summary: Using smartphones for health and physical function assessment has great potential, providing low-cost, scalable access to care. A smartphone app for self-directed, unsupervised assessment of balance and falls risk showed a strong association between self-reported falls history and outcome measures, suggesting clinical usefulness.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tarique Siragy, Allen Hill, Julie Nantel
Summary: The study investigated the role of arm elevation strategy in slips among individuals with Parkinson's Disease, with findings indicating that the impact of arm swing on stability restoration remains unexplored in this population. Additionally, asymmetrical impairments in slip recovery response were observed among participants, suggesting potential challenges in restoring stability after slips in this group.
Article
Biophysics
Xinyao Hu, Yuting Li, Gengshu Chen, Zhong Zhao, Xingda Qu
Summary: This study aimed to identify balance recovery patterns after slips and determine their association with slip-induced fall likelihood. A total of three balance recovery patterns were identified, and these patterns were found to be associated with different levels of fall likelihood.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Sarah C. Griffin, Violet Williams, Natasa Vidic, Kurt E. Beschorner
Summary: This study investigated the friction requirements and body kinematics during descending roof-to-ladder transitions. The findings suggest that a ladder with a walk-through extension has higher friction requirements in the medial-lateral direction and lower friction requirements in the anterior-posterior direction. Foot angle and body angle significantly affect the friction requirements.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Yoshiro Okubo, Mohamed Suhair Bin Mohamed Suhaimy, Phu Hoang, Carly Chaplin, Cameron Hicks, Daina L. Sturnieks, Stephen R. Lord
Summary: This study examined the feasibility and efficacy of reactive balance training for improving stepping performance and reducing laboratory-induced falls in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The results showed that reactive balance training improved trip-induced dynamic stability, limb support, trunk control, and reduced falls in people with MS.
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND RELATED DISORDERS
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Industrial
Savannah Bitzas, Shannon Ma, Kelly Pesanelli, Ann M. Zaia
Summary: The objective of this paper is to analyze the scope and risk factors of STFs among janitors and cleaners and make evidence-based recommendations for prevention. Older age and female gender were found to be the highest risk populations for STFs in this occupation. STFs resulted in injuries such as sprains, strains, dislocations, and tears. Non-observable/human factors and observable/organizational factors contributed to these incidents and both need to be addressed for public health protection. Comprehensive interventions targeting observable and non-observable factors are needed to reduce STFs. Further research is necessary to identify effective preventive measures.
APPLIED ERGONOMICS
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Mariana Wingood, Elizabeth Peterson, Christopher Neville, Jennifer L. Vincenzo
Summary: This study developed a screening tool for identifying feet- and footwear-related influences on fall risk among community-dwelling older adults. The tool was evaluated and refined in two phases, resulting in a 20-item screening tool with high face and content validity.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Shubham Gupta, Sarabjeet Singh Sidhu, Subhodip Chatterjee, Ayush Malviya, Gurpreet Singh, Arnab Chanda
Summary: This study extensively investigates the impact of commonly available protective floor coatings on the traction performance of safety-labelled shoes. Three floor coatings were tested on five safety shoes under dry, wet, and oily conditions, resulting in valuable guidelines for selecting slip-resistant coatings and reducing slipping risks.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Grzegorz Bednarczuk, Izabela Rutkowska
Summary: Balance disorders are a major cause of falls in older adults. Assessing balance is essential for determining the risk of falls and identifying the factors that contribute most to this risk.
Article
Biophysics
Shubham Gupta, Arnab Chanda
Summary: Slips and falls are a major concern for public safety, and traction at the shoe-floor interface is crucial to reduce slipping risks. This study investigated the impact of footwear outsole geometry and tread patterns on shoe-floor traction. The results indicated that outsoles with horizontal treads or untreaded heel regions significantly reduced footwear friction, highlighting the importance of optimizing footwear tread parameters to minimize slip risk on water-contaminated floorings.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Joanna M. Blodgett, Jodi P. Ventre, Richard Mills, Rebecca Hardy, Rachel Cooper
Summary: This systematic review aimed to synthesize published evidence on the association between one-legged balance performance and falls. Results from 55 papers involving 36954 participants showed that due to between-study heterogeneity, regression estimates between balance and fall outcomes could not be synthesized.
AGEING RESEARCH REVIEWS
(2022)