Effect of handrail height and age on the timing and speed of reach-to-grasp balance reactions during slope descent

Vicki Komisar; Brian E Maki; Alison C Novak

doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2019.102873

Effect of handrail height and age on the timing and speed of reach-to-grasp balance reactions during slope descent

Appl Ergon. 2019 Nov:81:102873. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2019.102873. Epub 2019 Jun 22.

Authors

Vicki Komisar¹, Brian E Maki², Alison C Novak³

Affiliations

¹ Toronto Rehabilitation Institute - University Health Network, 13-000, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2A2, Canada; Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College Street - Room 407, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada; Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Electronic address: Vkomisar@sfu.ca.
² Toronto Rehabilitation Institute - University Health Network, 13-000, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2A2, Canada; Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College Street - Room 407, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada; Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle - Room 2374, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, 149 College Street, 5th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5T 1P5, Canada.
³ Toronto Rehabilitation Institute - University Health Network, 13-000, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 2A2, Canada; Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue - Room 160, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada; Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, 55 Harbord Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 2W8, Canada.

PMID: 31422250
DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2019.102873

Abstract

We investigated the effect of handrail height on the timing and speed of reach-to-grasp balance reactions during slope descent, in fourteen younger and thirteen older adults. Participants walked along an 8° slope mounted to a robotic platform. Platform perturbations evoked reach-to-grasp reactions. Handrail height did not significantly affect handrail contact time (i.e., time from perturbation onset to handrail contact) or movement time (i.e., time from EMG latency to handrail contact). Participants appeared to compensate for the increased hand-handrail distance with higher rails via increased peak upward hand speed, and decreased vertical handrail overshoot. Aging was associated with slower EMG latency, reduced hand acceleration time, and increased hand deceleration time. Our findings suggest that participants were not disadvantaged by higher handrails from reach-to-grasp timing or speed perspectives, and that other metrics (e.g., center-of-mass control after grasping) may be more important when evaluating handrail designs for balance recovery.

Keywords: Aging; Balance recovery; Falls; Handrail design; Injury prevention.

Publication types

Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

Adult
Age Factors*
Aged
Electromyography / statistics & numerical data*
Environment Design*
Female
Hand / physiology
Hand Strength / physiology*
Healthy Volunteers
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Movement
Postural Balance / physiology
Psychomotor Performance
Reaction Time / physiology*
Young Adult