Balance is the key to a longer life! According to a new study, how long one stands on one leg, especially the non-dominant one, is a clear indicator of age-related decline. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that the ability to balance on one leg declines more quickly with age than walking gait, grip, and knee strength assessments. Let’s take a closer look.
The study The cross-sectional study, which was published on Wednesday in the journal PLOS One , examined participants who ranged in age from 52 to 83. The study found that among 40 individuals, who were all in good health and free of neuromuscular problems, standing time on both dominant and nondominant legs declined considerably with age. This decline was greater than that of gait and muscle strength.
After adjusting for body size, the decline was 2.2 seconds per decade on the nondominant side and 1.7 seconds per decade on the dominant side for both men and women.
The ability to balance while maintaining a one-legged stance deteriorated at the highest rate, even though all the parameters decreased with age — the dominant grip strength decreased at a rate of 3.7 per cent and the knee strength decreased at a rate of 1.4 per cent every decade.
It’s all about balance “Standing on one leg is a good measure of your overall health system because balance reflects how the body’s systems are working together,” said senior author Dr Kenton Kaufman, a research scientist and the W Hall Wendel Jr Musculoskeletal Research .