Centre of gravity: relevance of behaviour and location in bipedal stance in older adults

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this review paper is to draw together the large body of literature on steady-state balance and the changes that occur as age increases to enable clinicians to access and interpret this literature and to integrate the findings into their daily practice.

Objectives: As there is increasing use of force plate technology in the clinical setting for both assessment and treatment of steady-state stance in people with balance problems, clinicians need a clear understanding of not only the relationship between centre of gravity and base of support (BOS) but also the impact of age and different test conditions.

Major findings: This review presents basic balance concepts relating to both the sway characteristics and location of the centre of gravity within BOS and the changes that occur as age increases. The impact of changes in the BOS, such as size and compliance, are also addressed in the context of the ageing client. It is possible that the location of COG within BOS in conjunction with sway characteristics may be more critical in older age groups than in the young as all body systems (sensory, central and musculoskeletal) show declines with increasing age.

Conclusions: This paper will assist clinicians to understand characteristics of sway in quiet stance and changes associated with altered test conditions with particular reference to the effects of ageing.

Keywords:

• Centre of gravity
• Location
• Sway
• Ageing
• Standing balance