Effect of aging on the association between ankle muscle strength and the control of bipedal stance

Abstract

Previous studies reported a significant association between postural control and lower-limb strength of several muscle groups, however, they were focused especially on knee muscles and ankle plantar and dorsal flexors. The aim of the present study is to examine the correlation between the muscle strength of ankle invertors, evertors, plantar flexors, and dorsal flexors and the control of bipedal stance in young and older adults. Thirty one young (aged 22.8 ± 2.6 years) and thirty one older adults (aged 70.5 ± 7.2 years) voluntarily participated in this study. Ankle muscle strength was evaluated by an isokinetic dynamometer. Normalized peak torque and work were averaged for four repetitions and for both lower limbs. The control of bipedal stance was evaluated by the sample entropy derived from an accelerometer placed on the lumbar spine while the subject stood on a foam pad with eyes open. Results showed significant age-related differences in ankle muscle strength and sample entropy in medial-lateral direction. More interestingly, the correlation between ankle muscle strength and the sample entropy was significantly different between young and older adults. Indeed, no significant correlation was observed in the younger adults. Conversely, in the older adults, the work of the ankle evertors positively correlated with sample entropy in the medial-lateral direction during bipedal stance (r = 0.36), whereas the peak torque and work of the dorsal flexors were significantly correlated with sample entropy in the anterior-posterior direction during bipedal stance (r = 0.44 for both variables). In the young adults, results suggest that, standing on foam with eyes open is a relatively easy postural task that does not require the full ankle muscle strength capacity. Taken together, the present findings suggest that older adults have a different association between ankle muscle strength and the sample entropy during bipedal stance.

Relationship of proprioception, cutaneous sensitivity, and muscle strength with the balance control among older adults

“…The outcomes partially supported our hypothesis that proprioception is correlated with dynamic and static balance control, that cutaneous sensitivity is correlated with static balance control, and that muscle strength is correlated with dynamic balance control. The mean and range of outcomes we collected in this study were similar to and comparable with previous studies that investigated proprioception, 32 , 44 cutaneous sensitivity, 45 and muscle strength 46 among healthy older adults.…”

Inversion Table Fall Injury, the Phantom Menace: Three Case Reports on Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

“…In this case series, all three patients were middle-aged and obese. It is hard to generalize; however, middle-aged or elderly women have weaker muscle power, particularly in the ankle dorsiflexion compared to that of the general population [ 23 , 24 , 25 ]. All the patients were obese, with BMI over 26, which means that there were strong compressive forces in play when the patient collapsed.…”

The Influence of Elastic Taping on Dynamic Muscular Control (Dynamic Control Ratio) Evertor-Invertor Ankle in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Male with Complications of Peripheral Neuropathy

“…In turn, this may expose obese adults to more risks of suffering from neuromuscular declines, and consequently being injured. 10,11 scores. This condition is in accordence with studies from Nisar et al (2015) and Bril et al (2018) that explained the incidence of peripheral neuropathy in type 2 DM could occur before the diagnosis of DM is established, but the risk increases after three years.…”