Background: Falls in the elderly can be caused by disturbances in balance, proprioception. Investigation of risk factors may help to develop targeted intervention strategies. The aim of this study is to compare balance and ankle joint position sense in elderly female fallers and non-fallers in a single- and dual-task situation.

Methods: A total of 30 older adults, aged 65 years and older, were objectively divided into fallers (those who fell at least once in the last year) and non-fallers groups. The Sharpened-Romberg test and digital imaging were used to evaluate balance and ankle joint position sense, respectively. Mixed repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare the two groups, foot, and tasks (P≤0.05).

Results: The research showed significant difference between the two groups in terms of balance and ankle joint position sense (P=0.001). Furthermore, there was a significant difference in balance and joint position sense of ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion in single and dual tasks (P=0.001). However, there was no significant difference in balance and ankle proprioception between the dominant and non-dominant foot (P=0.07). Balance showed significantly higher values in the dominant foot and non-dominant foot in single task by 11.74%, 13.78% and dual task by 10.62%, 11.38% for individuals without a history of falls compared to fallers (p < 0.05). The study concluded that the proprioception of the ankle joint was significantly lower in individuals without a history of falls compared to those with a history of falls. In the single-task condition, the proprioception was -1.61% for the dominant foot and -1.52% for the non-dominant foot. In the dual-task condition, it was -1.92% for the dominant foot and -1.74% for the non-dominant foot. (P = 0.002).

Conclusion: It seems that elderly people without a history of falls have better balance and joint position sense than people with a history of falls. It was also shown that dual task can disrupt balance and proprioceptive function in the elderly. Therefore, developing interventions to prevent or treat these modifiable risk factors can help reduce the risk of falls in older female people.