Vestibular Adaptations Induced by Gentle Physical Activity Are Reduced Among Older Women

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the ability of older individuals to maintain an efficient upright stance in contexts of vestibular sensory manipulation, according to their physical activity status. Two groups of healthy older women (aged over 65) free from any disorders (i.e., neurological, motor and metabolic disorders) and vestibular disturbances, participated in this study. One group comprised participants who regularly practiced gentle physical activities, i.e., soft gym, aquarobic, active walking, ballroom dancing (active group, age: 73.4 (5.8) years, n = 17), and one group comprised participants who did not practice physical activities (non-active group, age: 73.7 (8.1) years, n = 17). The postural control of the two groups was compared in a bipedal reference condition with their eyes open and two vestibular sensory manipulation conditions (i.e., bipolar binaural galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) at 3 mA, in accordance with two designs). The main results indicate that there was no difference between the active and the non-active groups in all the conditions. It is likely that the aging process and the type of physical practice had limited the ability of the active group to counteract the effects of vestibular sensory manipulation on postural control more efficiently than the non-active group.

Exploring technology for clinical applications and analysis of factors associated with postural control in older adults with idiopathic neck pain

“…It is possible that dizziness experienced by the older adults with NP in this study may be due to sensory conflicts between the cervical spine and vestibular afferents (Hikosaka & Maeda, 1973) which in turn increased their fear of movement. Further, previous study showed that the efficiency of postural regulation diminishes with age (Maitre & Paillard, 2017). Our study provides a basis for future interventional studies to determine whether addressing the anxiety of the fear of neck movements and treating the cervical spine dysfunction will improve dynamic postural control and potentially reduce the risk of falls.…”

“…Maitre et al (2013) (Maitre & Paillard, 2017), age was positively associated with the CoP velocity within the moderate frequency. However, it is difficult to meaningfully interpret the rest of the results of the wavelet analysis as our results did not give clarity or give further insights to the complex mechanisms that underlie postural control deficits in NP.…”