Risk of falling, functional mobility and kinesiophobia in elderly people with vertigo

Abstract

Introduction: The aging process is a dynamic, progressive and individual process, which can lead to changes in the functioning of the body's senses, causing limitations in postural control and vertigo. Elderly people with vertigo are at high risk of falls, which may be associated with kinesiophobic behavior. Objective: To evaluate the risk of falling, functional mobility and kinesiophobia in elderly people with vertigo. Methodology: Nine elderly people diagnosed with vertigo were evaluated, one man and eight women, with an average age of 74.7 (±3.91) years. Kinesiophobia was assessed using the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK). The risk of falls and mobility were assessed using the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) and TUG with cognitive task (TUGcog). Data were analyzed using the statistical software R version 4.2.1. Results: The average points on the TSK was 35.3 points, indicating the presence of kinesiophobia in four elderly people (44.4%) and two of these were classified as falling risk according to the time of execution on the TUGcog. The average time to perform the TUGT was 7.12 (±0.98) seconds and the average time to perform the TUGcog was 9.08 (±1.42) seconds. The difference between the times for performing the two tests was statistically significant (p=0.003). No correlation was found between the times for carrying out the TUGT tests and the TSK. Conclusion: Elderly people with vertigo are not at risk of falling using TUGT and TUGcog and performed TUGcog significantly longer than TUGT. Furthermore, four elderly people presented kinesiophobia that was independent of the risk of falling.

Keywords: Aged. Kinesiophobia. Vertigo.