FURI | Spring 2023

The Effect of a Sports-Playing Background on Fall Risk in Younger Adults

Fall risk is a public health concern that affects older populations. The purpose of this study is to understand if an athletic background as a younger adult decreases fall risk. A separate study must be conducted to understand if those results translate to older populations. In this study, fall risk was measured between younger adult athletes and non-athletes. Eight subjects were placed under a series of slips and perturbations, challenging their balance. Their sacrum’s acceleration was measured via IMU. It’s determined that there are significant differences between both populations. This may indicate that athletes have a lower fall risk than non-athletes.