What do you need to know to age healthily? Try standing on one leg.

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The simple act of standing on one leg can tell you how quickly you're aging, according to a new study by Mayo Clinic researchers. In fact, the study found that balance declines more rapidly with age than other metrics, so how long you can do it for is a more accurate measure than muscle strength or walking.

The study involved 40 healthy people over the age of 50 (half under 65 and half over 65) who took tests on gait, balance, grip strength and knee strength.

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In the balance test, participants: Perform multiple poses for up to 30 seconds each. Perform bilateral standing with eyes open (with both legs), bilateral standing with eyes closed, and unilateral standing with eyes open and dominant and non-dominant legs.

The researchers found that the gait of the study participants was not significantly affected by age, with both knee strength and grip strength declining by a relatively small amount with each decade of age. I discovered it.

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The biggest change they observed was standing on one leg. “Duration of single-leg balance showed the greatest change from decade to decade,” the researchers wrote in their report. Age-related changes in gait, balance, and muscle strength parameters: a cross-sectional study. They added:Gender differences were observed only in muscle strength parameters, with no noticeable effect on decreased balance parameters. ”

The researchers noted that sway is not a good predictor of aging because sway when balancing on one leg is not related to age or gender. However, single-leg standing time decreased at a rate of 2.2 seconds per decade on the non-dominant side and 1.7 seconds per decade on the dominant side. “Thus, the amount of time subjects could balance on one leg decreased with age.”

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Furthermore, “The importance of balance, particularly in the one-legged stance, arises from the fact that, in addition to adequate muscle strength, multiple sensory inputs and neuromuscular control are required. This is why one-legged balance is a healthy This is the reason why it declines most rapidly in our cohort, reflecting the same age-related decline in muscle strength as in previous studies and the rapid adjustment and integration of data by the central nervous system. This is the first time such a comparison has been made in an elderly population.

They pointed out that maintaining balance as we age is extremely important. “Impaired balance can lead to falls both at rest and when moving,” the researchers wrote. “Older people are at higher risk of fractures with serious consequences due to osteoporosis, making falls a serious health risk.”

They also noted the complex interaction of bodily functions in such a seemingly simple task. “Balance is a complex activity that integrates information from the visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems to sense position, velocity, and acceleration… Static balance is a complex activity that integrates information from the visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems to sense position, velocity, and acceleration… Dynamic balance is necessary to maintain postural control during movement, and dynamic balance is important for controlling the body's center of gravity during locomotion.

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According to information from Canada, National initiative on elderly careFalls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations and injury-related deaths in Canadians aged 65 and over.

The group estimates that an estimated 80% of injury hospitalizations and 90% of hip fractures in older adults are caused by falls, resulting in $2 billion in direct medical costs annually and more than a third of older adults suffering from long-term injuries. He points out that he is receiving nursing care. After being hospitalized due to a fall.

In 2021, BBC journalist Michael Mosley dedicated a podcast episode to just one thing On to the topic of health benefits of standing on one leg.

Speaking to the website SciTechDaily, “The study's senior author, Kenton Kaufman, Ph.D., director of the Movement Analysis Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic, said: People can take steps to train their balance. For example, standing on one leg trains your muscles and vestibular responses to maintain proper balance. If you can stand on one leg for 30 seconds, you've succeeded.

“If you don't use it, you lose it. If you use it, you preserve it,” Kaufman said. “It's easy. You don't need any special equipment and you can do it every day.”

The research results were published in a magazine Pro Swan.

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