TY - JOUR
T1 - Age-related mechanical work expenditure during normal walking
T2 - The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging
AU - Ko, Seung uk
AU - Ling, Shari M.
AU - Winters, Joshua
AU - Ferrucci, Luigi
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported entirely by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Institute on Aging. Data for these analyses were obtained from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, a study performed by the National Institute on Aging.
PY - 2009/8/25
Y1 - 2009/8/25
N2 - The aim of this cross-sectional study was to delineate age-associated kinematic and kinetic gait patterns of normal walking, and to test the hypothesis that older adults exhibit gait patterns that reduce generative mechanical work expenditures (MWEs). We studied 52 adult Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging participants (means age 72±9, from 60 to 92 years) who could walk 4 m unaided. Three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic parameters assessed during rotation-defined gait periods were used to estimate MWEs for the rotation of lower extremities about the medial-lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) axes of proximal joints, which represent MWEs in the AP and ML sides, respectively. Relationships between gait parameters and age were examined using regression analysis with adjustments for walking speed, sex, height, and weight. Older age was associated with slower self-selected walking speed (p<0.001), shorter stride length (p<0.001), and greater propensity of landing flat-footed (p=0.003). With older age, hip generative MWE for thigh rotation was lower about the AP axis (hip abduction and adduction) during stance (p=0.010) and higher about the ML axis (hip extension and flexion) during late stance (p<0.001). Knee absorptive MWE for shank rotation about the AP axis (knee abduction and adduction) during early stance was also lower with older age (p<0.003). These age-related gait patterns may represent a compensatory effort to maintain balance and may also reflect mobility limitations.
AB - The aim of this cross-sectional study was to delineate age-associated kinematic and kinetic gait patterns of normal walking, and to test the hypothesis that older adults exhibit gait patterns that reduce generative mechanical work expenditures (MWEs). We studied 52 adult Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging participants (means age 72±9, from 60 to 92 years) who could walk 4 m unaided. Three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic parameters assessed during rotation-defined gait periods were used to estimate MWEs for the rotation of lower extremities about the medial-lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) axes of proximal joints, which represent MWEs in the AP and ML sides, respectively. Relationships between gait parameters and age were examined using regression analysis with adjustments for walking speed, sex, height, and weight. Older age was associated with slower self-selected walking speed (p<0.001), shorter stride length (p<0.001), and greater propensity of landing flat-footed (p=0.003). With older age, hip generative MWE for thigh rotation was lower about the AP axis (hip abduction and adduction) during stance (p=0.010) and higher about the ML axis (hip extension and flexion) during late stance (p<0.001). Knee absorptive MWE for shank rotation about the AP axis (knee abduction and adduction) during early stance was also lower with older age (p<0.003). These age-related gait patterns may represent a compensatory effort to maintain balance and may also reflect mobility limitations.
KW - Gait phase
KW - Mechanical work expenditure
KW - Medial-lateral stability
KW - Walking speed
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=68149180868&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=68149180868&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2009.05.037
DO - 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2009.05.037
M3 - Article
C2 - 19646705
AN - SCOPUS:68149180868
SN - 0021-9290
VL - 42
SP - 1834
EP - 1839
JO - Journal of Biomechanics
JF - Journal of Biomechanics
IS - 12
ER -