关键词: 意外跌倒, 老年人, 足底感知训练, 平衡能力, 治疗结果

Abstract: Background　Falls have become the leading cause of death among elderly people over the age of 65 in China，which are associated with over 50% of the injuries requiring hospital treatment in this group.Plantar perception training can improve balance ability and may be of value in reducing falls.Objective　To explore the effect of plantar perception training on the balance ability and risk of falls in the elderly with a history of falls，with a view to providing a basis for reducing falls in the elderly.Methods　From May 2017 to May 2018，62 out of the elderly patients over the age of 60 with an experience of at least one fall within 6 months before 2018-06-01 were recruited from Geriatrics Center，Hainan General Hospital，and were randomly divided into the experimental group and control group with 31 in each.All of them received the same plantar perception training of the same duration from rehabilitation department except that the controls were not required to distinguish the hardness levels of five sponge pads.General information，balance test results〔pre- and post-intervention eye opening，center-of-pressure（COP）total trajectory length with eyes closed，timed up and go（TUG）test〕，and fall risk assessment（FES）results were collected and compared between the groups.Results　In the experimental group，the scores of plantar perception training on the 7th，8th，9th，and 10th days of training were all lower than those on the 1st day（P<0.05）.In eyes-open conditions，there was no interaction between the training method and time on the COP total trajectory length（P>0.05）.Training duration produced significant main effect on the COP total trajectory length（P<0.05），while training duration did not（P>0.05）.There was an interaction between training method and time on COP total trajectory length and TUG results（P<0.05）.Both training method and time exerted significant main effects on COP total trajectory length and TUG results（P<0.05）.The COP total trajectory length decreased in both groups after training（P<0.05）.In eyes-closed conditions，the COP total trajectory length decreased in both groups after training（P<0.05）.Compared with the control group，the mean COP total trajectory length was longer before training but it was shorter after training in the experimental group（P<0.05）.The time used to complete the TUG test decreased in both groups after training（P<0.05）.The experimental group used shorter mean time to complete the TUG test either before or after training（P<0.05）.There was an interaction between the training method and time on the FES score（P<0.05）.Both the training method and time had significant main effects on the FES score（P<0.05）.The mean FES score increased in both groups after training（P<0.05）.Although the mean FES score was lower before training in the experimental group in comparison with the control group，it became higher after training（P<0.05）.Conclusion　Plantar perception training helps to improve the balance ability in elderly people，thus the risk of falls may be reduced.

Key words: Accidental falls, Aged, Plantar perception training, Balance ability, Treatment outcome