Are there differences in whole-body coordination between the sexes during standing turns in healthy adults?

Abstract

Abstract Background and objectives: Sex has been reported to influence postural control and balance due to differences in musculoskeletal structures, hormonal factors, and neuromuscular control which could contribute to the incidence of falls particularly during turning. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the stepping characteristics and whole-body coordination during standing turns in healthy adults to determine the effects of sex and turn speed. Methods Fifty participants (25 males and 25 females) completed 180° standing turns on level ground. Inertial Measurement Units (XSENS) were used to measure whole-body movement turning kinematics and stepping characteristics. Moreover, dynamic balance and the risk of falling were measured by the Time Up and Go (TUG). Participants were randomly tasked to turn at three speeds; fast, moderate, or slow to the left and right sides. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare the independent variables between male and females, and Friedman tests with Dunn’s tests for pairwise comparisons were used to compare between the three turning speeds within the two groups. Results Significant differences were seen between males and females during fast turning for the leading foot onset (p = 0.048) and in the slow speed for the step duration (p = 0.033), showing that these were greater in female with an increase in turn speed. In addition, significant differences were seen only in the males when comparing different speeds (p < 0.05) in the trailing foot onset latency, step size, and total number of steps, while in the females a significant difference was found in peak head yaw velocity between fast and slow turn speeds, and moderate and slow turn speeds. Finally, there was no significant difference in TUG between groups. Conclusion These findings show differences between sexes in the response to whole-body coordination and step characteristics, indicating that females tend to have more changes in stepping characteristics compared to males due to differences in turning speed. This can affect their balance and stability. However, the differences in sex did not impact the fall risk due to the lack of a significant difference shown by TUG between males and females.