title: [What are the effects of the aging of the neuromuscular system on postural stability?].
abstract: Aging is frequently associated with a decreased postural stability, essentially after 60 years, leading to an increased risk of falling. In this article we propose to highlight the influence of the aging of the neuromuscular system on postural stability when standing upright. To maintain balance while standing upright, human needs to control the activity of ankle muscles and particularly the plantar flexors. During the aging process, the performance of these muscles are strongly altered. It is commonly observed large deficits in elderly people with history of falls. Some authors reported an inverse correlation between the amplitude of postural sway and the capacity of force production of ankle muscles suggesting that the assessment of neuromuscular function could be an index of postural stability or even of the falling risk. Finally, enhance the strength of ankle muscles in elderly through physical exercise could be an adequate intervention to improve postural stability and reduce the incidence of falls.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire EA 4234 Motricité Interaction Performance, Université de Nantes, France.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cattagni
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Inserm U1093 Cognition, Action, et Plasticité Sensorimotrice, Université de Bourgogne, France.
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scaglioni
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire EA 4234 Motricité Interaction Performance, Université de Nantes, France.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cornu
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire EA 4234 Motricité Interaction Performance, Université de Nantes, France, Pôles hospitalo-universitaires de gérontologie clinique, CHU de Nantes, France.
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berrut
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Inserm U1093 Cognition, Action, et Plasticité Sensorimotrice, Université de Bourgogne, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: aging; ankle muscles; balance control; fall; postural stability