Recent studies have discovered that middle-aged and elderly people who cannot stand on one leg for more than 10 seconds have almost double the risk of death in the next decade. Why is the ability to stand on one leg related to mortality? There are two key reasons, and improving these issues can help reduce the risk of death.
Between 2008 and 2020, a total of 1,702 (68 percent male) volunteers aged 51 to 75 years participated in the study. A total of 20.4 percent were unable to complete the 10-second one-legged stance, and the older the volunteers, the higher the probability of failing the test.
During a follow-up (median of 7 years), 7.2 percent of the volunteers passed away, with cancer and cardiovascular diseases as the main causes of death, as well as respiratory diseases and COVID-19 complications. Among them, 4.6 percent were able to stand on one leg for more than 10 seconds, and 17.5 percent were unable to stand for more than 10 seconds.
Compared with those who passed the test, those who could not stand on one leg for more than 10 seconds had significant differences in age, waist-to-height ratio, and BMI. Moreover, their health status was also relatively poor, mostly suffering from hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity.
After taking age, gender, and underlying conditions into account, the study pointed out that people who were unable to stand on one leg for 10 seconds had an 84 percent increased risk of death from any cause in the next decade, which is equivalent to almost double the risk of people who passed the test.
Sense of Balance
Dr. Scott Wang, director of Star Rehabilitation Clinic in Neihu District, Taiwan, pointed out that sense of balance is very important, and elderly people with poor balance are prone to falls. He said, “Some of my patients in their 60s and 70s will tell me things like they fell again last week, or fell three times in the last month.”Falls are a major threat to seniors.
This is because the harm caused by falls can be minor or major, ranging from scratches and bruises to serious fractures and even loss of life.
“When I was working in a hospital, a patient fell out of bed, causing a brain hemorrhage, and he passed away,” Dr. Wang said.
Sense of balance deteriorates as one ages, and the maintenance of sense of balance involves vision, the semicircular canals (the organs responsible for the sense of balance) in the ear, and proprioception. Vision deteriorates with age, affecting the elderly’s ability to walk; the semicircular canals are also affected by aging, as well as vertigo; and proprioception does not only deteriorate due to aging, but is also related to diabetes.
Most people can close their eyes and still put the index fingers of both of hands together, which is a function of proprioception. Proprioception allows a person to detect the position of a limb in space without being able to see it.
Diabetic patients with poor blood sugar control can suffer damage to their proprioceptive nerves, resulting in insensitivity of the peripheral limbs and a poor sense of balance. Dr. Wang said that one of his patients doesn’t have feeling in his feet, so when he walks, he feels as if walking on a marshmallow. “This kind of feeling is very scary, and the general population can’t really imagine it,” he said.
In addition, a deteriorated sense of balance may also be a sign of an asymptomatic stroke (silent stroke).
Dr. Chih Hao Lin, neurologist and director of the Brain Stroke Center at Lin Shin Hospital in Taiwan, said that most asymptomatic strokes are small strokes, in which small blood vessels or capillaries under the cerebral cortex become embolized. Since the symptoms are very mild, they may not be detected without special attention or examination. However, these asymptomatic strokes may lead to major strokes.
Muscle Strength
Muscle strength is also an important factor that affects the sense of balance. “Even if a person has good vision, balance and proprioception, if his muscles are severely atrophied, he is still prone to falls,” Dr. Wang said.At the same time, muscle strength alone can predict a person’s longevity.
- Those with the weakest grip strength had 1.67 times the mortality rate of those with the strongest grip.
- Those who walked the slowest had 2.87 times the mortality rate of the fastest group.
- The people who took the most time to rise from a chair had 1.96 times the mortality rate of the fastest people.
Training Can Improve Muscle Strength and Balance
In addition to the sense of balance and muscle strength, whether or not someone can stand on one foot for more than 10 seconds also reflects a person’s exercise habits. People who habitually exercise are more physically fit and can stand on one leg for a longer period of time.Deadlifts and Deep Squats
Excellent weight training needs to take into account both upper and lower body muscles, but muscle training of the lower body brings the greatest benefits, because the muscles below the waist account for two-thirds of the total body muscle mass.Sense of Balance Training
This training method is very simple: on the floor, draw (or paste) a line, and walk heel-to-toe along the line back and forth.Dr. Wang pointed out that to enhance one’s sense of balance, improving muscle strength is indispensable, and some balance training should also be added to form a complete approach.
Regardless of whether it is weight training or balance training, seniors are advised to have a coach to assist them in doing these exercises to avoid falls and movement errors that can cause sports injuries.
