Balance control in older adults

To avoid falls during everyday movements, we need to maintain balance, i.e., control the position of our body's center of mass relative to our base of support. The balance control system comprises sensory subsystems, their afferent nerves, an extensive brain network, and the motor system. Physiological aging of each of these subsystems may limit our ability to control balance in standing and walking. Methods based on questionnaires, functional tests of posture and movement, and advanced methods that quantify the ability to control or regain balance or the performance of specific subsystems of the balance control system are available to test balance control in older adults.