Question: Hi LauraAnne, could biomechanics help people as they get older and have reduced mobility?

LauraAnne Furlong answered on 14 Nov 2016:

Absolutely! This is a very popular area of biomechanics and a very important one, as it is expected that one third of babies born in Europe in 2011 will live to see their 100th birthday. There are several important research topics for those working with the elderly. As we age, we lose muscle. It is important to figure out why this happens, what we can do to stop it happening, what effect it has on movement, and if there is some technology we might need to consider to help older adults keep moving like walking frame design for example.

Older adults tend to have weaker bones, and often when they fall, the bones tend to break. These breaks might not heal properly, and often mean a much reduced quality of life for older people as they can’t get out and about, but they may also struggle to move around in their homes. In the US, it is expected by 2020 that the total annual cost of falls to their economy will be $54.9 billion….that’s a huge amount of money. To deal with this, there is a growing area of research and technology which is focused on early detection of falls in the elderly, using small pieces of equipment they use in their own homes, not just in the lab. These bits of kit can hopefully help to prevent falls happening in the first place, as well as send a warning call to a neighbour, family member or an ambulance if it detects a fall has actually happened.

There are several people who do research into the biomechanics of how older people walk and run in their everyday lives, to figure out why they may develop injuries or arthritis for example which will reduce their mobility.

Another area where biomechanics helps is the idea of wearable suits, like what is being developed for the military – a bit like Iron Man but for older people. The idea of these pieces of technology is to give an older person, who is struggling to get out of a seat for example, a little boost to their muscles so they can successfully get up and get moving. As you can see, lots of places where biomechanics can help older adults keep moving for longer; all of these projects use equipment and measurements similar to what we do here at Loughborough to help address this important topic, and these are only a small snapshot of different projects going on worldwide!