Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate the association between walking ability and muscle atrophy in the trunk and lower limbs.MethodsSubjects in this longitudinal study were 21 elderly women who resided in nursing homes. The thicknesses of the following trunk and lower-limb muscles were measured using B-mode ultrasound: rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, transversus abdominis, erector spinae, lumbar multifidus, psoas major, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, biceps femoris, gastrocnemius, soleus, and tibialis anterior. Maximum walking speed was used to represent walking ability. Maximum walking speed and muscle thickness were assessed before and after a 12-month period.ResultsOf the 17 measured muscles of the trunk and lower limbs, age-related muscle atrophy in elderly women was greatest in the erector spinae, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, and tibialis anterior muscles. Correlation coefficient analyses showed that only the rate of thinning of the vastus lateralis was significantly associated with the rate of decline in maximum walking speed (r = 0.518, p < 0.05).ConclusionsThis longitudinal study suggests that reduced walking ability may be associated with muscle atrophy in the trunk and lower limbs, especially in the vastus lateralis muscle, among frail elderly women.
Highlights
There are numerous studies on age-related muscle atrophy using ultrasonographic measurements of muscle thickness
Strong correlations have been reported between muscle thickness measured by B-mode ultrasound and site-matched skeletal muscle mass measured by magnetic resonance imaging [1,2,3,4]
Ota et al [10] demonstrated that age-related muscle atrophy of the rectus abdominis begins at an early age and that less age-related atrophy is seen in the deep abdominal muscles such as the transversus abdominis
Summary
There are numerous studies on age-related muscle atrophy using ultrasonographic measurements of muscle thickness. Strong correlations have been reported between muscle thickness measured by B-mode ultrasound and site-matched skeletal muscle mass measured by magnetic resonance imaging [1,2,3,4]. Measurements of muscle thickness using ultrasound can be used to noninvasively estimate the degree of muscle atrophy [5]. Kubo et al [6] reported that the thicknesses of the vastus lateralis and medial gastrocnemius muscles, as measured by B-mode ultrasound, decreased significantly. With regard to age-related changes in the size of trunk muscles, Rankin et al [8] reported a significant negative correlation between age and thickness of the abdominal muscles in healthy subjects aged 20–72 years. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between walking ability and muscle atrophy in the trunk and lower limbs
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