The impact of muscle mass, strength, and physical functioning on postural balance in older adults with sarcopenia

This study sought to investigate the effect of muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical function on postural balance in Sarcopenia.

A total of 1026 subjects aged 60-years and older were screened for sarcopenia and assessed using clinical tests including the Romberg's test, Single Leg Standing Test (SLS), Five Times Sit to Stand Test (FTSST), Timed Up & Go Test (TUGT), and Y-Balance Test (YBT).

The authors identified distinct predictive patterns: 1) Hand grip strength(muscle strength) emerged as the dominant predictor of static balance performance, while 2) Dynamic balance outcomes were jointly influenced by gait speed (physical function), muscle strength, and age. Notably, dynamic balance demonstrated greater susceptibility to age-related skeletal muscle decline compared to static balance.

These findings propose clinically actionable pathways: resistance training to target muscle strength deficits for static balance improvement, and combined strength-functional training protocols for dynamic balance rehabilitation in sarcopenia management.