The underlying mechanisms of improved balance after one and ten sessions of balance training in older adults

Leila Alizadehsaravi, Ruud A.J. Koster, Wouter Muijres, Huub Maas, Sjoerd M. Bruijn, Jaap H. van Dieën*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Training improves balance control in older adults, but the time course and neural mechanisms underlying these improvements are unclear. We studied balance robustness and performance, H-reflex gains, paired reflex depression, and co-contraction duration in ankle muscles after one and ten training sessions in 22 older adults (+65 yrs). Mediolateral balance robustness, time to balance loss in unipedal standing on a platform with decreasing rotational stiffness, improved (33%) after one session, with no further improvement after ten sessions. Balance performance, absolute mediolateral center of mass velocity, improved (18.75%) after one session in perturbed unipedal standing and (18.18%) after ten sessions in unperturbed unipedal standing. Co-contraction duration of soleus/tibialis anterior increased (16%) after ten sessions. H-reflex gain and paired reflex depression excitability did not change. H-reflex gains were lower, and soleus/tibialis anterior co-contraction duration was higher in participants with more robust balance after ten sessions, and co-contraction duration was higher in participants with better balance performance at several time-points. Changes in robustness and performance were uncorrelated with changes in co-contraction duration, H-reflex gain, or paired reflex depression. In older adults, balance robustness improved over a single session, while performance improved gradually over multiple sessions. Changes in co-contraction and excitability of ankle muscles were not exclusive causes of improved balance.

Original languageEnglish
Article number102910
Pages (from-to)1-14
Number of pages14
JournalHuman Movement Science
Volume81
Early online date2 Dec 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 721577. The research team would like to thank the individuals who participated in the experiment for the purposes of this research. SMB was funded by a VIDI grant (016.Vidi.178.014) from the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). RAJK was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (grant agreement number 715945 Learn2Walk). A part of this study has been presented at American society of biomechanics 2020 congress by the first author.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors

Funding

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 721577. The research team would like to thank the individuals who participated in the experiment for the purposes of this research. SMB was funded by a VIDI grant (016.Vidi.178.014) from the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). RAJK was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (grant agreement number 715945 Learn2Walk). A part of this study has been presented at American society of biomechanics 2020 congress by the first author.

FundersFunder number
Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme721577
European Research Council
Horizon 2020715945

    Keywords

    • Balance performance
    • Balance training
    • Center of mass velocity
    • Co-contraction
    • H-reflex
    • Paired reflex depression

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