Relationship between Muscle Strength and Gait Parameters in Healthy Older Women and Men

Maintaining sufficient muscle strength is fundamental to prevent a decline in basic physical functions such as gait, and is therefore a prerequisite for a healthy independent life in older people. However, the relationship between gait parameters and the strength of single muscle groups is reported with inconclusive results. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship of strength of nine single muscle groups of lower and upper leg muscles as well as handgrip strength for gait parameters in older adults. Sixty-nine independently living older adults participated in the study. Maximum ankle plantar- and dorsiflexion, knee flexion and extension, as well as hip abduction, adduction, flexion, and extension strength, were measured using an isokinetic dynamometer. Additionally, hand grip strength measured via a hand dynamometer was obtained. Walking gait parameters were recorded with a 3D motion capture system on an instrumented treadmill. The relationships between multiple strength and gait variables were analyzed by Pearson's correlation coefficient. Linear regression analyses were performed to identify the predictive ability of muscle strength (normalized to body weight) for gait speed, stride time, stance time, stride length and step width. Multiple significant weak to moderate positive ([r = 0.343, p = 0.047]-[r = 0.538, p = 0.002]) and negative ([r = -0.340, p = 0.046]-[r = 0.593, p = 0.001]) correlations that were unequally distributed between both sexes were detected. Significant regression models explained ([r 2 = 16.6%, p = 0.015]-[r 2 = 44.3 %, p = 0.003]) and ([r 2 = 21.8%, p = 0.022]-[r 2 = 36.1%, p = 0.044]) of the gait parameter variations for men and women, respectively. The results suggest a sex-specific relevance of single muscle groups for all gait parameters. This may be attributed to anatomical differences and it is important to prevent strength-related changes in gait parameters

Ankle · Dynamometer · Gait · Grip strength · Linear regression · Muscle strength · Physical medicine and rehabilitation · Physical therapy · Statistics · STRIDE · Treadmill · Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention · Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorders · Lower Extremity Biomechanics and Pathologies · Mathematics · Medicine · Anatomy

• Correlation Coefficients

  Open Access•Patrick Schober, Christa Boer et al.•Anesthesia & Analgesia•2018

  Add to list

• Sexual dimorphism in foot length proportionate to stature

  Open Access•Daniel M T Fessler, Kevin J Haley et al.•Annals of Human Biology•2005

  Add to list