ArticlesUnipedal stance testing as an indicator of fall risk among older outpatients☆,☆☆
Section snippets
Patients
The protocol for this study was approved by the review boards of both institutions involved. All patients referred to the electroneuromyography laboratory were assessed for eligibility for the study. Patients were included if they were: referred for a study of the lower extremities, or for a generalized problem such as peripheral neuropathy or weakness; at least 50 years old; able to ambulate in the community without assistive device; and able and willing to complete the protocol. Patients were
Background information
Fifty-three patients met the criteria for the study. Forty-seven (88.6%) were male. The mean age was 65.7 years (SD = 8.5). Fifty-one percent were referred for electrodiagnostic study on suspicion of a radiculopathy, 43% on suspicion of peripheral neuropathy, and the remainder for other causes.
Twenty subjects (38%) reported a fall in the previous year. Fifteen (28% of all subjects, and 75% of those who reported any fall) had a history of multiple falls in the previous year. Patients who
Discussion
The major finding is that our primary hypothesis, which proposed that a decreased UST would be associated with falls, was strongly supported. Subjects with a history of falls demonstrated a significantly decreased maximal UST over three trials compared with the subjects without a history of falls (9.6 [11.6] and 31.3 [16.3] seconds, respectively, p <.00001). Using 30 seconds as a cutoff between “normal” and “abnormal” UST appears useful in that all subjects (but one) who were classified as
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No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors or upon any organization with which the authors are associated.
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Reprint requests to James K. Richardson, MD, University of Michigan Medical Center, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Room 1D204, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0042.