FUNCTIONAL REACH TEST: MOVEMENT STRATEGIES INELDERLY AND DIABETIC NEUROPATHIC SUBJECTS

Functional Reach (FR) is a simple clinical measure developed by Duncan et al. in 1990 to estimate the dynamic balance in the elderly at risk of recurrent falls. FR has been defined as the maximal distance one can reach forward beyond arm’s length while maintaining a fixed base of support in the standing position [Duncan, 1990]. Previous works showed as FR is not able to differentiate healthy elders from individuals with balance impairments [Wernick- Robinson, 1999]. More information can be obtained from this motor task if it can be described looking at the kinematic behaviour [Cavanaugh, 1999] and at the motor strategies employed. The purposes of this study is to describe the principal parameters that characterized the FR test in elderly and diabetic neuropathic subjects, and to investigate the presence of different movement strategies used by these two categories of subjects.