Balancing with one foot If you had less than 10 seconds, how old would you be?
Oct 24, 2024
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Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that the time to balance with one foot indicates how strong bones, muscles and nerves are, a sign of senility.
The researchers measured walking, balance, grip strength, and knee strength in 40 healthy men and women aged 50 to 80.
The balance test was conducted for 30 seconds each of standing on both feet with eyes open, standing on both feet with eyes closed, standing on the dominant (often used) legs with eyes open, and standing on the non-dominant legs.
Measurements showed that the time to stand in balance with one leg, especially one that is not dominant, decreases most significantly with age.
At the age of 10 years, the amount of time to stand on legs that usually did not stand decreased by 2.2 seconds. In other words, if a 50-year-old person could balance for 15 seconds, a 60-year-old person could balance for 12.8 seconds. For the dominant leg, the time to hold was reduced by 1.7 seconds every 10 years.
Other studies have suggested that the average duration of standing on one leg is 50 years old, 9 seconds, 60 years old, 7 seconds, 70 years old, 4.5 seconds, and 80 years old, 2.6 seconds.
The researchers say the test is an inexpensive, low-tech way to test bone strength and aging, adding that figuring out what stage you are in in neuromuscular health can help you plan your own health", he explained. The findings were recently published in the Journal of the U.S. National Library of Science.
bellho@sportschosun.com
