Table 5.
Between-group comparison of fall circumstances
| PBT | Control | P values | |
| (53 falls) | (64 falls) | ||
| Cause of fall | |||
| Do not recall | 8 | 6 | |
| Slip | 16 (35.6) | 22 (37.9) | 0.26 |
| Trip | 11 (24.4) | 6 (10.3) | |
| Push/external force | 1 (2.2) | 3 (5.2) | |
| Incorrect weight transfer53 | 17 (37.8) | 27 (46.6) | |
| Posture at the time of the fall | |||
| Do not recall | 7 | 4 | |
| Lying | 1 (2.2) | 0 (0) | 0.33 |
| Sitting | 4 (8.9) | 7 (12.1) | |
| Standing | 9 (20.0) | 6 (10.3) | |
| Walking | 32 (68.9) | 47 (77.6) | |
| Motor activity at the time of the fall | |||
| Do not recall | 7 | 4 | |
| Not moving | 4 (8.9) | 2 (3.5) | 0.01 |
| Transferring | 2 (4.4) | 12 (20.7) | |
| Turning/reaching/ bending |
10 (22.2) | 4 (5.2) | |
| Walking on level surface | 18 (37.8) | 20 (34.5) | |
| Walking on ramp/stairs/uneven surface | 12 (26.7) | 22 (36.2) | |
| Cognitive activity at the time of the fall | |||
| Do not recall | 10 | 9 | |
| None | 34 (78.6) | 44 (81.1) | 0.8 |
| Distracted | 9 (21.4) | 11 (18.9) | |
| Where did the fall occur | |||
| Outdoors | 19 (35.8) | 22 (34.4) | >0.99 |
| Indoors | 34 (64.2) | 42 (65.6) | |
| Using an assistive device | |||
| Do not recall | 7 | 5 | |
| Never use one | 11 | 23 | |
| No | 16 (45.7) | 24 (66.7) | 0.096 |
| Yes | 19 (54.3) | 12 (33.3) | |
| Holding onto a handrail | |||
| Do not recall | 7 | 6 | |
| No | 41 (89.1) | 48 (82.8) | 0.41 |
| Yes | 5 (10.9) | 10 (17.2) | |
| Anything in hands | |||
| Do not recall | 9 | 6 | |
| No | 34 (77.3) | 32 (55.2) | 0.023 |
| Yes (one or both hands) | 10 (22.7) | 26 (44.8) | |
| Action to try to prevent the fall | |||
| Do not recall | 9 | 18 | |
| None | 27 (61.4) | 28 (60.9) | 0.18 |
| Grasp | 8 (18.2) | 14 (30.4) | |
| Step or step+grasp | 9 (20.5) | 4 (8.7) | |
| Length of lie on floor or ground | |||
| Do not recall | 7 | 4 | |
| A few minutes or less | 39 (84.8) | 57 (95.0) | 0.098 |
| More than a few minutes but less than an hour | 7 (15.2) | 3 (5.0) | |
| Assistance required to get up from fall | |||
| Do not recall | 7 | 4 | |
| No | 24 (52.2) | 44 (73.3) | 0.04 |
| Yes | 22 (47.8) | 16 (26.7) | |
| Injuries | |||
| Do not recall | 7 | 5 | |
| None | 28 (60.9) | 39 (66.1) | 0.68* |
| Cuts or bruises | 17 (37.0) | 19 (32.2) | |
| Joint sprain or dislocation | 1 (2.2) | 1 (1.7) | |
| Medical assistance required after fall | |||
| Do not recall | 7 | 5 | |
| No injuries | 30 | 42 | |
| Injured but did not seek treatment | 16 (100) | 14 (82.4) | 0.23† |
| Saw other healthcare professional | 0 (0) | 1 (5.9) | |
| Treated in hospital emergency room | 0 (0) | 2 (11.8) | |
Values are the number of falls in each category, with the percentage of falls in parentheses. The percentage was calculated from the total number of falls for which information was available (ie, ‘do not recall’ responses were excluded from the denominator). Percentages might not sum to 100 due to rounding error. The p value is for Fisher’s exact test comparing the two groups, excluding ‘do not recall’ responses from analysis.
*Analysis compared injury versus no injury.
†Analysis compared sought treatment versus did not seek treatment.
PBT, perturbation-based balance training.