[Purpose] We carried out a prospective study of falls in community-living elderly for a year and examined the factors in their fall.[Subjects] The subjects were 133 elderly people (average age 73.9 5.6 years) who didn't have severe cognitive symptoms and were receiving certified long-term care needs. Thirty-five subjects had a fall during the year (falls group) and 98 subjects did not (no-fall group).[Methods] We evaluated subjects' physical, cognitive and psychological functions for the baseline survey, and compared the results of falls group and no-fall group.[Results] In comparison of the baseline characteristics, foot-gripping strength, one-leg standing time, the TMIG index of competence scores, attention function and subjective view of health of the falls group were significantly lower than those of the no-fall group. However, in logistic regression analysis with the dependent variable as "fall experience in a year", the odds ratios of all items showed no significant difference.
[Purpose] We investigated the reproducibility of measurements of spinal curvature using Spinal Mouse on clothed and naked skin.[Subjects] The subjects were 20 healthy men. [Method] We measured spinal curvature using Spinal Mouse on naked skin and one layer of clothing, twice for each condition, and determined the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC).[Results] The ICC of thoracic kyphosis was 0.974 for the naked condition and 0.892 for the clothed condition. The ICC of lumbar lordosis was 0.939 for the naked condition and 0.883 for the clothed condition. In the comparison of the naked and clothed conditions, no significant differences were found. Furthermore, the measurement difference between the two conditions was of the order of 1.5, suggesting that when it is difficult to take the measurement on the naked skin, a reliable measurement can be obtained over clothing.
[Purpose] We assessed the upper body-raising ability of elderly persons, and compared it with their physical and psychological functions.[Subjects] The subjects were 475 community-dwelling elderly persons: 106 males, 369 females, average age 74.5 5.9.[Method] We compared 6 items of physical function, including muscle strength and walking ability, and 3 items of psychological function, including subjective health and purpose in life, and compared them between gender and ability to raise the upper body.[Results] The proportion of males, 65.1%, who could raise the upper body was significantly greater than that of females, 41.5%. Significant differences were found for all of the 6 items of physical function, and those who could raise the upper body showed better values than those who could not. Among the psychological items, a significant difference was found for subjective health, and those who could raise the upper body perceived themselves as being more healthy.[Conclusion] The results show that ability to raise the upper body is not just a simple test which well-reflects physical function, but one which can possibly ascertain the overall health levels of the elderly, including subjective health.
We measured the circumference of the thigh and thickness of the quadriceps femoris of elderly females, and investigated their relationships with quadriceps femoris strength and walking and balance abilities. [Subjects] The subjects were 56 community-dwelling elderly females: average age, 71.6 6.5. [Method] We measured the circumference of the thigh at 10, 15 and 20 cm above the patella and the quadriceps femoris thickness, and investigated their relationships with quadriceps femoris strength, walking speed and the timed up-and-go test (TUG) using Pearson's correlation coefficient. [Results] Significant relationships were found between all of the values of thigh circumference and quadriceps femoris thickness and quadriceps femoris strength, and the muscle thicknesses at 15 and 20 cm above the patella had high correlation coefficients. Furthermore, significant correlations with TUG and walking speed were found only for muscle thicknesses at 15 and 20 cm above the patella. [Conclusion] The results suggest that quadriceps femoris thickness at 15 and 20 cm above the patella will be a useful index, reflecting not only the muscle strength but also walking and balance abilities.
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