Postural Stability During Standing Balance and Sit-to-Stand in Master Athlete Runners Compared With Nonathletic Old and Young Adults

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare postural sway during a series of static balancing tasks and during five chair rises between healthy young (mean [SEM], age 26 [1] years), healthy old (age 67 [1] years) and master athlete runners (age 67 [1] years; competing and training for the previous 51 [5] years) using the Microsoft Kinect One. The healthy old had more sway than the healthy young in all balance tasks. The master athletes had similar sway to young athletes during two-leg balancing and one-leg standing with eyes open. When balancing on one leg with eyes closed, both the healthy old and the master athletes had around 17-fold more sway than the young athletes. The healthy old and master athletes also had less anterio-posterior movement during chair rising compared with young athletes. These results suggest that masters runners are not spared from the age-associated decline in postural stability and may benefit from specific balance training.

Comparison of balance performance between masters Olympic weightlifters and runners

“…The purpose of this investigation was to compare balance performance, with an emphasis on using a balance assessment approach that altered the sensory sources essential to maintaining balance, between middle‐aged masters Olympic weightlifters and runners. With positive adaptations in balance ability already being demonstrated in runners compared to age‐matched healthy controls, 11,17 the novelty of this investigation was the comparison of balance performance between runners and Olympic weightlifters, a form of weightlifting that is different from the traditional form of weightlifting completed for strength training. Consistent with our hypothesis, the most salient result of this investigation was the identification of better balance performance by the weightlifters, particularly when visual inputs were unavailable (ie, eyes closed), compared to the runners.…”

“…One limitation of the current study was the cross‐sectional design comparing the two exercise groups without a group of healthy aged‐matched controls. The decision to not recruit healthy aged‐matched controls was based on the number of studies showing masters athletes, particularly runners, demonstrating better balance abilities compared to healthy controls 11,15,17,41 . Additionally, aside from sensory and motor adaptations secondary to physical activity differences, masters athletes are likely be more competitive than non‐athletes 17 and thus may be in a higher state of arousal which could confound group comparison interpretation.…”

“…In addition to the undesirable physical consequences of falls (eg, fractures, bruises), older adults who have fallen also exhibit reductions in physiological (eg, morbidity, further functional decline) and mental (eg, depression, loss of self‐efficacy) competencies 8 . The benefits of lifelong physical activity and exercise in slowing down the progression of age‐related declines in both neurocognitive 9 and physiological 10‐12 health, as well as assisting with maintaining functional performance, 13 are well documented. Even if an individual has not been physically active during younger adult years, speculation 14 and direct evidence 15 suggests that initiation of an exercise program in middle age may provide benefits through older age.…”

“…As a result of participating in organized competitions, masters athletes may train more regularly and with greater intensity than individuals exercising solely for health benefits, making them a unique group to study the effects of physical activity on successful aging. Not surprisingly, studies comparing former and current masters athletes, most of whom were runners, with age‐matched healthy individuals have demonstrated a lower incidence of falls, 19 better balance, 11,17,20 and improved mobility during activities of daily living (walking, sit to stand) 14,20,21 …”

“…The majority of the balance studies involving masters athletes have not used assessment methods that partition the contributions of vision, vestibular, and somatosensory sources to balance. Additionally, balance studies involving older athletes have largely only considered aerobically trained athletes such as runners, cyclists, and swimmers; these studies have largely demonstrated enhanced balance abilities in runners compared to healthy age‐matched individuals 11,17 . In contrast to aerobic sports which largely involve muscular endurance, Olympic weightlifting is a sport that involves lifting the heaviest possible weight during two events, the snatch and the clean and jerk lifts 32 .…”