How do features of dynamic postural stability change with age during quiet standing, gait, and obstacle crossing?

Previous research has reported mixed findings regarding age-related changes in dynamic postural stability, quantified by margin of stability (MOS), during gait. However, age-related changes in MOS may be better elicited by tasks imposing greater challenges to the postural control system. Older adults' MOS during obstacle crossing, a destabilizing task, has previously been characterized, although studies comparing MOS during this task between younger and older adults remain sparse. This study investigated age-related changes in dynamic postural stability during quiet standing, gait, and obstacle crossing. Participants aged 20–30 (n = 20), 60–69 (n = 18), 70–79 (n = 15), and 80+ (n = 7; not analyzed statistically) years old performed these tasks while whole-body motion was tracked using motion capture. MOS in each direction was estimated throughout each trial, and integrals, transient ranges, and trial minima were extracted (as applicable). MOS time series were also ensemble averaged across age groups. No age-related differences were identified for quiet standing or gait. However, obstacle crossing metrics revealed greater stability (i.e., more positive MOS) and less instability (i.e., less negative MOS) in older adults, and reduced ranges during transients. These findings potentially arise from shorter step lengths, which may be the result of age-related physical declines; or may reflect a cautious strategy in older adults, which maximizes postural stability in the direction with the greatest consequences for foot-obstacle contact, as it changes throughout the task. This study supports the use of tasks imposing physical challenges and/or voluntary perturbations to study age-related changes in dynamic postural stability. Findings also contribute to our theoretical understanding of the time course of dynamic postural stability during functional tasks in relation to periods of transition in the base of support, and task-specific strategies adopted for obstacle crossing by older adults to maintain dynamic postural stability and mitigate fall risk.