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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Effects of age-related changes in trunk and lower limb range of motion on gait
BMC musculoskeletal disorders, Vol.24, 234
28/03/2023
PMID: 36978129
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Abstract
Background
The ability to walk is crucial for maintaining independence and a high quality of life among older adults. Although gait characteristics have been extensively studied in older adults, most studies have investigated muscle activity in the joints of the trunk or the lower limbs without assessing their interactions. Thus, the causes of altered trunk and lower limb movement patterns in older adults remain to explore. Therefore, this study compared the joint kinematic parameters of both trunk and lower limbs between young and older adults to identify kinematic factors associated with changes in gait among older adults.
Methods
In total, 64 older (32 males, aged 68.34 ± 7.38 years; 32 females, aged 67.16 ± 6.66 years) and 64 young (32 males, aged 19.44 ± 0.84 years; 32 females, aged 19.69 ± 0.86 years) healthy adults participated in this study. The range of motion (ROM) of the thorax, pelvis, and trunk in the horizontal plane and of the hip, knee, and ankle joints of the lower limbs in the sagittal plane were measured using a motion capture system with wearable sensors. Two-way analysis of variance assessed differences in ROM by group, sex, and spatio-temporal gait parameters; Pearson correlation analysis assessed the correlation of the trunk and lower limbs.
Results
Step length, gait speed, and stride length were greater in young adults (p < 0.001) than in older adults, but older women displayed the fastest gait speed (p < 0.05). ROM values for the pelvis, thorax, trunk, knee joint, and ankle joint of young adults were greater (p < 0.05) than those in older adults. However, hip ROM in older adults was significantly greater than that in young adults (p < 0.05).
Conclusion
With increasing age, ROM of the lower limbs, especially the ankle joint, decreased significantly, resulting in a significant decrease in gait speed. As ROM of the pelvis decreased, stride length decreased significantly in older adults, who compensate through thoracic rotation. Thus, older adults should enhance muscle strength and increase ROM to improve gait patterns.
Details
- Title
- Effects of age-related changes in trunk and lower limb range of motion on gait
- Creators
- Meiling Zhai - Nanjing Sport InstituteYongchao Huang - Nanjing Sport InstituteShi Zhou - Southern Cross UniversityYahong Jin - Nanjing Sport InstituteJiayun Feng - Tianjin University of SportChaolei Pei - Taiyuan Normal UniversityLi Wen - Nanjing Sport InstituteLi Wen’s - Nanjing Sport Institute
- Publication Details
- BMC musculoskeletal disorders, Vol.24, 234
- Publisher
- BioMed Central
- Identifiers
- 991013101298502368
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Academic Unit
- Human Sciences; Faculty of Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article