Article

Fear of falling (FoF) in elderly frequently leads to decreased quality of life.
FoF is suggested to be associated with changes in gait quality and muscle
strength with aging. The aim of this study was to determine whether gait quality
and maximal voluntary torque (MVT) of knee extensor muscles are associated with
FoF. We hypothesized that high between-stride variability and local divergence
exponent (LDE) of trunk kinematics in gait are associated with higher FoF in
non-fallers, but not in fallers. Moreover, we hypothesized that knee extensor
muscle strength is associated with a high variability and LDE of trunk kinematics
during gait. 134 four adults, aged 62.4 (SD 6.2) years agreed to participate. FoF
was assessed on a 10-point numerical rating scale. Subjects with at least one
fall in the past 12 months were considered as fallers. LDE and variability were
calculated from data of a trunk-mounted inertial-sensor collected during several
minutes of treadmill walking. Maximal voluntary knee extension torque (MVT) was
assessed isometrically. Fall history was an effect modifier in the association
between LDE and FoF only, i.e. only subjects without fall history and a high LDE
had a five times higher chance of reporting FoF. Gait variability was not associated with FoF. Low MVT was associated with FoF. Multivariate analysis
demonstrated that LDE was more strongly associated with FoF than MVT. Decreased
stability of gait as reflected in a high LDE and low muscle strength are
associated with and a potential cause of FoF in subjects without fall history.
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Langue : ANGLAIS