The influence of age on the effect of balance task difficulty in children and young adults

Abstract

Objectives The aim of this study is to evaluate whether a difference between children and young adults exists concerning the effect of the balance task difficulty on the COP mean velocity. Participants For this study, 16 healthy prepubertal children (6-9 years of age) and 17 healthy young adults (18- 24 years of age) were assessed. Measurements COP mean velocity was calculated, based on the COP displacement, during stance under different conditions (unperturbed standing and standing on 3 balance boards of different height). Results A significant interaction effect between age group and condition on COP mean velocity was found . Conclusion Age influences the effect of the difficulty of a balance task on postural control. Increases in the difficulty of a balance task cause a greater decrease in the postural control of children compared to young adults. This is probably due to age differences in sensory reorganization, whether or not because of incomplete maturation of the sensory systems.