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Ankle Proprioception-Associated Gait Patterns in Older Adults: Results from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging
Seung-Uk Ko1, Eleanor M Simonsick, Nandini Deshpande
11Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chonnam National University, Yeosu, SOUTH KOREA; 2Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging (NIA/NIH), Baltimore, MD; and 3School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, CANADA.
Introduction:
Ankle proprioception training has been found to improve balance-related gait disorders; however, the relationship between ankle proprioception and specific gait patterns in older adults with and without impaired balance has not been systematically examined.
Methods:
This study characterizes gait patterns of 230 older adults age 60-95 yr evaluated in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging gait laboratory with (n = 82) and without impaired balance (inability to successfully complete a narrow walk) and examines ankle proprioception performance.
Results:
Participants with impaired balance had a higher angle threshold for perceiving ankle movement than those without impaired balance even after controlling for the substantial age difference between groups (P = 0.017). Gait speed, stride length, hip and ankle range of motion, and mechanical work expenditure from the knee and ankle were associated with ankle proprioception performance (P < 0.050 for all) in the full sample, but these associations were evident only in participants with impaired balance in stratified analysis.
Conclusion:
Ankle proprioception in older persons with balance impairment may play a role in balance-related gait disorders and should be targeted for intervention.
