Measurement of impact force, simulation of fall and hip fracture

Gardner, Trevor; Simpson, A. H. R. W.; Booth, Carolyn; Sprukkelhorst, P.; Evans, M.; Kenwright, J; Evans, John Grimley

doi:10.1016/s1350-4533(97)00041-6

Cited by 33 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Our results are in general agreement with previous studies that employed mechanical systems to estimate the effect of compliant flooring on fall impact force, 10,11 although the comparison is made difficult by the fact that previous studies did not report the stiffness of their floor samples. The 8% attenuation we observed in the firm condition is similar to the 7% reduction observed by Gardner et al 11 for a pile carpet and underpad and the 11% reduction observed by Maki and Fernie 12 for 7 mmthick loop carpet.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The 8% attenuation we observed in the firm condition is similar to the 7% reduction observed by Gardner et al 11 for a pile carpet and underpad and the 11% reduction observed by Maki and Fernie 12 for 7 mmthick loop carpet. Furthermore, the 18% attenuation we observed in the soft condition matches the 18% reduction observed by Maki and Fernie for carpet plus underpad.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…8,9 Second, peak impact forces during simulated falls are reduced between 7 and 23% by compliant floor designs. [10][11][12] However, in the studies providing this evidence falls were simulated with a mechanical test system, which may not accurately measure the force attenuation provided by the floor during falls in humans. Furthermore, data on the stiffness of the tested floor conditions were not reported.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of compliant flooring on impact force during falls on the hip

et al. 2006

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Compliant flooring represents a promising but understudied strategy for reducing impact force and hip fracture risk due to falls in high-risk environments such as nursing homes, hospitals, gymnasiums, and senior centers. We conducted ''pelvis release experiments'' with young women (n ¼ 15) to determine whether floor stiffness influences peak hip impact force during safe, low-height falls. During the trials, we used a pelvic sling and electromagnet to lift and instantly release the participant from a height of 5 cm above a force plate, which measured the force applied to the hip region during impact. Trials were conducted for rigid floor conditions and with layers of ethylene vinyl acetate foam rubber overlying the floor that we regarded as firm (1.5-cm thick; stiffness ¼ 263 kN/m), semifirm (4.5-cm thick; stiffness ¼ 95 kN/m), semisoft (7.5-cm thick; stiffness ¼ 67 kN/m), and soft (10.5-cm thick; stiffness ¼ 59 kN/m). When compared to the rigid condition, peak hip impact force averaged 8% lower in the firm condition and 15% lower in the semifirm condition. Peak forces were not significantly different between the semifirm, semisoft, and soft floor conditions, indicating that a 4.5 cm-thick foam mat provides nearly the same force attenuation as a 10.5 cm-thick mat. These results support the need for laboratory experiments to measure the effect of floor stiffness on postural stability and for clinical trials to determine the effect of compliant flooring on hip fracture incidence in high-risk environments. ß

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of compliant flooring on impact force during falls on the hip

et al. 2006

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“…For a sideways fall with an impact velocity of 4 m/s, SmartCell and SofTile have been reported to reduce the peak force applied to the proximal femur (compared to a rigid floor) by 33.7% and 51.2% respectively (Laing and Robinovitch, 2009). In contrast, force attenuation values for common compliant floors average 7% for wooden floors, 15% for carpets without underpadding, and 24% for carpets with underpadding (Gardner et al, 1998;Simpson et al, 2004;Maki and Fernie, 1990). That the novel compliant floors tested in this study can more than double the force attenuative capacity of traditional products, without concomitant impairments in balance and stability, supports their value as a promising intervention strategy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

The influence of novel compliant floors on balance control in elderly women—A biomechanical study

Wright

Laing

2011

Accident Analysis & Prevention

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Novel compliant floors aim to decrease the risk for fall-related injury by providing substantial force attenuation during the impact phase of falls. Certain models of compliant flooring have been shown to have limited influence on postural sway and successful completion of dynamic balance tasks. However, the effects of these products on balance recovery mechanisms following an externally induced perturbation have yet to be quantified. We used a floor translation paradigm to induce a balance perturbation to thirteen elderly community-dwelling women. Outcome measures included the displacement rates and margins of safety for both the underfoot centre-of-pressure and whole-body centre-of-mass across two novel compliant floors (SmartCell, SofTile), two basic foam surfaces (Firm-Foam, Soft-Foam) and a standard 'Rigid' floor as a control condition. The centre-of-mass and centre-of-pressure margins of safety, and all centre-of-mass displacement rates, were not significantly lower for the two novel compliant flooring systems compared to the control floor. The centre-of-pressure displacement rates were similar to the control floor for the SmartCell floor condition. The majority of the margin of safety and displacement rate variables for the foam floors were significantly lower than the control condition. This study illustrates that the SmartCell and SofTile novel compliant floors have minimal influences on balance and balance control responses following externally induced perturbations in older community-dwelling women, and supports pilot installations of these floors to inform decisions regarding the development of clinical trials.

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“…There have been studies designed to investigate the impact attenuation properties of different floor coverings like pile carpet, loop carpet, wood tile, polyvinyl chloride, etc. [1][2]. However, the impact forces these studies used were constant and were much higher than that would experience by the human hipbone in accidental fall.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%