Effects of Fingertip Vibrotactile Stimulation on Postural Control in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Comparison Across Age Groups

Age-related decline in postural control is an important factor that increases the fall risk of older adults. Fingertip vibrotactile stimulation has been developed to provide light touch-like somatosensory input. However, evidence regarding differences among older age groups is limited. This study examined the effects of fingertip vibrotactile stimulation on postural control in 348 community-dwelling older adults classified as young-old (age 65-74 years), old-old (age 75-84 years), and oldest-old (age 85 years or older). Participants stood with eyes closed and feet together under stimulation and no stimulation conditions. The center of pressure (COP) velocity and COP area were measured using a force plate. The natural log-transformed COP area was used for the analysis. Linear mixed models were used to examine the effects of age group, stimulation conditions, and measurement segments. The COP velocity under the stimulation condition was significantly lower than that under the no stimulation condition; however, the COP area did not change significantly. Significant main effects of age group were observed for both COP indices, but no interaction between age group and stimulation condition was observed. Fingertip vibrotactile stimulation may reduce the COP velocity across older age groups, thus reflecting the effects on postural adjustment frequency.