Article

Stair walking is one of the most challenging tasks for older adults, with women
reporting higher incidence of falls. The purpose of this study was to investigate
the gender differences in kinetics during stair descent transition. Twenty-eight
participants (12 male and 16 female; 68.5 and 69.0 years of mean age,
respectively) performed stair descent from level walking in a step-over-step
manner at a self-selected speed over a custom-made three-step staircase with
embedded force plates. Kinematic and force data were combined using inverse
dynamics to generate kinetic data for gender comparison. The top and the first
step on the staircase were chosen for analysis. Women showed a higher trail leg
peak hip abductor moment (-1.0 Nm/kg), lower trail leg peak knee extensor moment
and eccentric power (0.74 Nm/kg and 3.15 W/kg), and lower peak concentric power
at trail leg ankle joint (1.29 W/kg) as compared to men (p<0.05; -0.82 Nm/kg,
0.89 Nm/kg, 3.83 W/kg, and 1.78 W/kg, respectively). The lead leg knee eccentric
power was also lower in women (p<0.05). This decreased ability to exert knee
control during stair descent transition may predispose women to a higher risk of
fall.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS