Evaluation of physical exercises to assess weaknesses in physical abilities related to fall risk among adults in different ages

Falls are the leading cause of injury for people of most ages, and the prevalence of falls increases with age. Fall risk is associated with the specific physical abilities balance, strength, and neuromuscular ability. This article describes a set of 12 physical exercises to assess these specific physical abilities related to fall risk. A convenience sample of 50 participants (26 men — 20–72 years of age, 24 women — 21–73 years of age) were recruited to this feasibility study to evaluate whether the set of 12 physical exercises and combinations of them can be used as a test to identify early weaknesses and severity of weaknesses in specific physical abilities and to get an indication of whether the physical exercises can identify age-related differences in specific physical abilities. They performed the physical exercises barefoot on a non-slippery floor. A test leader ensured that the participants executed the physical exercises correctly and determined whether the participants passed or failed the physical exercises according to pre-set pass criteria. Eleven of the physical exercises can assess weaknesses in specific physical abilities. In future tests, the physical exercise Short jump should be excluded from the set of physical exercises due to large variations in execution. The 11 participants younger than 30 years of age (8 men, 3 women) did not show any weaknesses. Nineteen of the 29 participants, 30–60 years of age (9 men, 10 women), and all 10 participants above 60 years of age (6 men, 4 women) showed weakness in at least one specific physical ability. Eleven out of the 12 physical exercises evaluated in this feasibility study and combinations of them can be used to identify weaknesses in specific physical abilities related to fall risk. Performance on physical exercises, alone or in combination, can also be used to determine the severity of the weaknesses in the three specific physical abilities. The results indicate that the physical exercises can identify age-related differences in specific physical abilities.