Development of Novel Designed Force Plate for Measuring the Balance Ability for the Elders

Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital Institutional Review Board

To develop a force plate with a proper computing algorithm that can be used in the average household as well as within community care centers. An affordable price range will also be necessary.

Many studies using force plates to examine the elders' balance ability for fall prevention. However, few studies compare the reliability differences among age in postural sway measurements even though many studies find significantly greater postural sway in the elder population than compared to the younger cohort. Investigation of this age difference is important for choosing variables to represent their postural sway improvement in order to determine the intervention outcome.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Young adults between 20 and 25 yrs
• Seniors between 67 to 75 yrs.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Lower limb neuromuscular diseases
• Musculoskeletal injuries
• Any negative response