IMPROVED FOOT POSITION SENSE AS A RESULT OF REPETITIONS IN OLDER ADULTS

This research investigated whether acuity of perceived foot position c hanges as a result of repetitions in older and young adults. Subjects actively held four reference positions with one foot and matched these positions 12 times with the other foot. The data suggest that young a dults performed the matching tasks with more overall accuracy and less variability than the older adults. Both young and older adults needed progressively less time to perceive an accurate match with repetition s. Repeated matching trials improved performance consistency in the ol der adults and resulted in less bias in both age groups. These results imply that adult aging affects the quality of the sensory signals con veying foot position at the ankle joint, but that repetitions make old er adults more aware of proprioceptive feedback resulting in faster, m ore consistent, and more accurate performance.