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Is Trunk Posture in Walking a Better Marker than Gait Speed in Predicting Decline in Function and Subsequent Frailty?
Reshma A Merchant1, Subhasis Banerji2, Gautam Singh2
1Department of Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore; Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
|September 28, 2015
Summary
Older adults develop posture adaptations to maintain gait speed as they age. Identifying these changes early can help prevent frailty and sarcopenia through targeted exercise interventions.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Biomechanics
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Current sarcopenia guidelines use gait speed and grip strength but overlook early posture changes.
- Older adults use environmental and postural adaptations to compensate for declining physiological function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify significant posture adaptations in older adults that help maintain gait speed despite increasing vulnerability.
- To guide early, posture-correction exercise interventions to prevent further decline.
Main Methods:
- Community-based cross-sectional study of 90 older Chinese men (60-80 years) and 20 younger adults (21-50 years).
- Assessed handgrip strength, 6-minute walk, Timed Up-and-Go (TUG), and gait characteristics via motion analysis.
- Defined low function (gait speed <1.0 m/s and/or TUG >10s) and low strength (<26 kg).
Main Results:
- Vulnerable older adults showed lower functional performance and strength.
- Posture adaptations during walking were observed in all groups, including those with good gait speed.
- The extent of posture adaptation was greater in vulnerable older adults.
Conclusions:
- While gait speed is key for screening, early identification of trunk posture adaptation is crucial.
- Detecting posture changes before gait speed decline allows for timely interventions in at-risk older adults.
