Abstract

The falls constitute a health problem of great proportions, particularly in the elderly population, becoming the second cause of death due to unintentional injuries worldwide, and they generate significant levels of temporary and / or permanent disability.About 30% of adults over the age of 65 experience one or more falls each year, which can lead to hospitalization and in some cases death..The ability to maintain balance in various contexts or against different stimuli is key at the time to limit the risk of falling. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship of motor variability in elderly assessed through a dual contact platform with physical and cognitive test in elderly. 174 Chilean participants were recruited, and 23 subjects were excluded (musculoskeletal pain -9-, voluntary withdraw -7-, cognitive tests below threshold -4, others causes -3-).Finally, 151 subjects (70.5 ±7.5 years old, BMI 27.6 ±4.3 kg/m2, 80% women) were assessed. Motor variability (MV) was assessed during the 2 minutes step in place test, performed on a customized contact platform (DMJump) that recorded independently left and right contact. Every double contact phase length was measured in milliseconds, exported to an Excel file and then standard deviation (SD) and root mean square successive differences (RMSSD) were calculated.MV was assessed with and without an auditive standardized cognitive interference.Physical tests consisted in Timed Up and Go (TUG), One leg stance (OLS), sit to stand 5 times (5StS), and handgrip strength (HGS).Cognitive test applied to every subject were Minimental and clock drawing test. Results. Every test outcome is expressed as median (P25-P75). Motor variability (MV): SD was 479 (250-704) msand RMSSD was 642 (334-932) ms. Physical test: TUG: 6.8 (6.1-7.9) s; OLS: 9.0 (4.6-10.0) s; 5StS: 10.9 (9.1-12.6) s; HGS: 24.4 (20.2-30.1) kg. Cognitive test: Minimental: 18 (17-19) points; Clock drawing test separated in Verbal part clock drawing test: 8.8 (7.4-10.0) points, Copy clock drawing test: 9.5 (8.5-10.0) points. Discussion and conclusions: Motor variability assessed through a dual contact time platform has several weak associations with physical and cognitive tests related to risk of fall in elderly population. It would be useful to do the same procedure in elderly population with higher risk of falling Recommendations A research area about objective motor variability assessment is open to evaluate its utility for risk of falling screening that can be used in primary health and preventions programs on elderly