Abstract
[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of aging on the stopping motion. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-nine healthy young adults and twenty-six healthy elderly adults participated in this study. A rapid stop task was performed in the standing posture using a visually-guided tracking task with a visual target, and the stopping motion was monitored utilizing center of pressure (COP). All signals from one force plate were recorded and the COP velocity was calculated offline; then, the reaction time, total movement time, propulsive time, and braking time were calculated. [Results] The reaction and total movement times of the elderly group were significantly longer than those of the young group. The anterior propulsion time of the elderly group was significantly shorter than that of the young group; and the anterior and posterior braking times of the elderly group were significantly longer than those of the young group. [Conclusion] These results show that the prolonged movement times of the elderly comprised not only prolonged propulsion times but also prolonged braking times, suggesting that braking ability in the standing posture declines with age.
