Investigating the Relationships Between Full Spinal Curvatures and Falls in the Ageing Population

Falls cause substantial morbidity and mortality in the ageing population. Many different causes and risk factors of falls have already been identified for fall prevention. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of the degenerated spinal curvature on the falls in the ageing population. 48 community-dwelling adults over 65 years old participated in this study. Spinal curvatures of the participants are measured in erect posture with a non-invasive device. In addition, questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews are conducted with the participants during data collection sessions. After normalising and fitting a Fourier series curve up to 3^rd harmonics to the actual data, the spinal curvatures are classified into groups according to the fall histories, general health and age of the participants. Significant differences (p<0.05) are found between the spinal curvatures of faller and non-faller participants in the 65–80 years age group. In addition, the effect of arthritis on spinal curvatures is also studied. The preliminary results indicate that the changes in the spinal curvature may be identified as a risk factor for falls in the ageing population.