Association of bone mineral density with postural stability and the fear of falling in Spanish postmenopausal

Objective: The purpose of our study was to investigate the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and postural stability and the fear of falling in a 50- to 65-year-old postmenopausal population. Study design: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted on 118 postmenopausal women. According to their BMD values, participants were divided into two groups: BMD> -2.0SD (n = 95) and: s-2.0SD (n = 23).

Main outcome measures: Postural stability, assessed with a resistive multi-sensor platform, fear of falling (FoF) and the history of falls in the last 12 months were investigated.

Results: Women with BMD: s -2.0 SD reported a significantly increased FoF when compared to women with BMD> -2.0 SD (P = 0.024, rJ2 = 0.045, 1 – f3 = 0.624). In the postural stability analysis, the group with BMD: s – 2.0 SD showed, under the eyes-open condition, statistically significantly higher values for the velocity (VEO) (P = 0.040, 112 = 0.037, 1 – f3 = 0.539) and the anteroposterior mean displacement of the center of pressure (YEO; P = 0.017, 112 = 0.049, 1 – f3 = 0.669). No significant differences between groups were observed in the history of falls or in the rest of the stabilometric analyzes.

Conclusions: In Spanish postmenopausal women under 65 years, a BMD: s -2.0 SD is significantly associated with postural instability (elevated VEO and XEO) and an increased FoF, which are two highly influential factors in the risk of falling.