Affect of Shape Abnormality in Foot and Toenail on Thmbling of Aged

Abstract

There is the increasing concern of the society to prevent the tumbling of the aged. The study of the static, as well as dynamic aspects, such as the muscular strength of the lower-limb and the postural stability, should be developed, especially from the viewpoint of the aged. This paper focuses on the external observation of the foot and toenail, as being correlated to the physical functions of the lower-limb against tumbling. The lower-limb functions are evaluated in terms of the 10 m walking time, the toe-gap force and single-foot standing period. The correlation to the personal tumbling experiences is also examined. It is seen that the groups, which exhibit external abnormalities in the foot and the toenail, generally decline in the muscular strength and postural stability. They also have more frequent tumbling experiences and express in their concern of the danger of tumbling. It seems that those shapes abnormalities can indicate, to some extent, the tumbling danger of the aged.