Neuromuscular Controller Models for Quantifying Standing Balance in Older People: A Systematic Review

Objective quantification of the balancing mechanisms in humans is strongly needed in health care of older people, yet is largely missing among current clinical balance assessment methods. Hence, the main goal of this literature review is to identify methods that have the potential to meet that need. We searched in the PubMed and IEEE Xplore databases using predefined criteria, screened 1064 articles, and systematically reviewed and categorized methods from 73 studies that deal with identification of neuromuscular controller models of human upright standing from empirical data. These studies were then analyzed with the particular aim to understand to what degree such methods would be useful solutions for assessing the balance of older individuals aged above 60 years. The 16 studies that included an older subject population were especially examined with this in mind. The majority of the reviewed articles focused on research questions related to the general function of human balance control rather than clinical applicability. Further efforts need to be made to adapt these methods for more accessible and mobile technologies and to ensure that the outcomes are valid for balance assessment of a general older population.