Individual joint contributions to forward propulsion are not related to stability during walking in young or older adults.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Older adults are less stable and walk slower than younger adults, both of which are associated with higher fall risk. Older adults use ankle musculature less and rely more on hip contributions for forward propulsion than younger adults, which has been suggested to be a protective walking strategy to increase stability. However, whether distal-to-proximal redistribution of propulsion and dynamic margin of stability are related has not been determined.

Objectives

To determine whether the distal-to-proximal redistribution of propulsion (redistribution ratio) is related to margin of stability during preferred walking conditions.

Methods

89 participants were classified as either young adults, high functioning older adults, or low functioning older adults. Partic

SUBMITTER: Wade FE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11874061 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature