Background: Many older adults fall
while turning. During the turning maneuver, rotation of the head precedes the
rest of the body, creating a spatial frame of reference. Limitations of the
neck rotation, may interfere with the turning mechanism, affect stability, and
lead to recurrent falls. However, the association between the range of the neck
rotation and turning stability was not explored yet. Purpose: To compare
the impact of restricting the neck rotation by a brace, on the turning
stability of adults with and without a history of falls. Methods: An
observational, cross-sectional study consisting of 59adults (average
age 76 ± 6.9). A group (N = 29) with at least 2 falls (FL) in the last year and
a group (N = 30) without a history of falls in the last year (NFL). All
participants performed three tests: Timed up and Go (TUG), 180° Turn Test (180
TT) and 360° Turn Test (360 TT) with and without a neck brace. Results: All
the scores of the FL were lower than those of the NFL (p < 0.01).Application
of the brace worsened the performance of the 180 TT and the 360 TT of both groups
(p < 0.05) but there was no interaction between group and bracing. The TUG
score of only the NFL was affected by the brace (p < 0.004). Interestingly,
only the range of the right neck rotation was correlated with balance tests and
number of falls (r = 0.272; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Restricting of
the neck mobility worsened the turning stability of both groups but without
interaction. The study reinforces the need of considering the neck range of motion
when addressing adult stability. A decrease in the range of right neck rotation
was identified as a risk factor for loss of balance.
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